Web of Lies
by Star Polaris
Summary: After GoF Harry is feeling depressed, seeing how the Dursley are treating him, Dumbledore decides to take him in. To which lengts will the headmaster go to insure their safety?
1. The Letter

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
A/N: Hey guys, here's the promised prequel to Dangers in the Past. Just some warning, this is going to focus on the relationship between Dumbledore and Harry, you can easily read it as an apart story. So, now let's get started.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
It had been two weeks since the ending of Harry's fourth year. The boy had been miserable from the moment he had seen his uncle's scowling face at the train station, knowing that the summer holidays wouldn't be pleasant at all. That turned out to be an understatement. His aunt and uncle had taken to locking him up in his room, too afraid of him to move him back into the cupboard, yet mad enough to keep him away from the rest of the household. He was only allowed out of the room twice a day so he could use the bathroom, but that was it.  
  
After the first week of his enforced imprisonment, the memories of the Tri- wizards tournament had driven him into a deep depression. The nightmares about Cedric's death, in which the boy blamed him, were slowly but surely pushing him towards the edge and he couldn't stop them, they just kept coming. After a few days he couldn't bring himself to care anymore. He stopped eating, not that it would have made much of a difference since Aunt Petunia barely gave him anything. He also had taken to ignore the letters that arrived regularly for him from his friends. At the end of the second week, he was not only becoming seriously underweight, but also ill.  
  
Some part of Harry knew that if things continued the way they were, he would not see Hogwarts again; he would be dead either by malnutrition, or by his own hand. He had lost the support he got from other people and now he was lost in his own world of nightmares. No one was there to help, no one was there to care, no one would be there to witness his death.  
  
It was during one of those moments of realisation, in which he knew Voldemort wasn't going to get the pleasure of killing him, that Harry decided to write a letter. He knew that if things continued this way there would be lots of people left feeling badly. He had been told lots of times that they cared about him, but right now that didn't matter. They would not see it his way, they would not understand that it was better this way, that he only brought pain and sadness. He had to tell them that this is what he wanted, to make them understand that this was the only solution. He also had to thank them for putting up with him for so many years.  
  
Picking up one of the last pieces of parchment left in his room, he sat down at his desk, his small, tired body, trembling with the effort of moving. Slowly, he started to write, trying to keep his small hand from shaking too much. He was barely half through when he realised how useless this letter was. Why would anyone care about what he thought? And even if they did, they would be too stubborn to understand, they wouldn't accept it. It wasn't going to change anything. Besides, he was feeling just too tired, maybe he should forget about everyone else and just try to sleep a bit more, hoping no nightmares would interrupt his much needed rest. Having come to that decision, he slowly moved back to the bed and let his exhausted body fall into it, not even bothering with pulling the blankets over his small frame. He knew that they wouldn't keep him warm either way since his fever had been rising constantly during the last hours. Sighing, he sunk into sleep, unaware of the golden eyes that had been following his every move.  
  
Hedwig had been silently watching her master from her cage. She had been very worried about the boy, but hadn't managed to get him to write anything. Now that he had finally written something down, she wasn't going to let it go to waste. The big owl flew out of her cage and landed next to the piece of parchment Harry had left on the table. Picking it up carefully, she considered where she should take it. Finally, she decided on the one man that was always able to help her young master and so, without a second thought, she flew out of the window and started to fly in the direction where her senses told her Albus Dumbledore would be.  
  
***************  
  
Said headmaster was, at the moment, sitting peacefully in the office of his summerhouse. He didn't use that house often since he preferred to stay at Hogwarts during holidays, but that year it had been impossible. Aurors were at the castle right now, updating the old protection charms. Even if Fudge didn't believe that Voldemort was back, he had received enough pressure from his ministers to allow more protection to be placed around the school. Dumbledore had been a bit surprised by it, but had allowed it. A bunch of Aurors would be much more effective in doing this than the teachers would be. So, he and his staff had been forced to move out of the school until term began again.  
  
Sighing heavily, Dumbledore put away some papers. He was trying to organise the resistance against Voldemort, but it was difficult without the direct help from the ministry. He was suddenly startled out of his thoughts when an owl arrived through the window. The snowy owl landed lightly in front of him, making him frown. He would have been able to recognise Harry Potter's owl everywhere. Patting the bird gently, he picked up the letter she had put on the table, wondering if Harry had had new nightmares about Voldemort. Looking at the parchment, he frowned, he could barely make out what was written. It seemed Harry's hand had been shaking badly when he wrote this.  
  
Bending over the parchment he narrowed his eyes and started to make out what the letter said.  
  
Dear Dumbledore, I'm not sure why I'm writing this. I guess it's just to thank you for all the effort you've put into keeping me safe. I just realised I had never thanked you for everything you've done for me and since I probably wont see you again I only thought  
  
The letter ended abruptly, leaving Dumbledore extremely worried. Turning to the owl, he stroked her gently. "Did Harry tell you to give me this?"  
  
Hedwig looked at him for a moment before shaking her head slowly. Dumbledore patted her head again and sighed. Of course not. Harry would never have sent a letter like this one. What really worried the headmaster is that he had even come so far as to write this. Harry was not one for dramatics, he was very closed with his emotions and it took a great effort to make the boy tell how he was feeling. Something was seriously wrong.  
  
Sitting back in his chair, he pondered if he should send Sirius and Remus to check on the boy. He really had a bad feeling about this, but soon he realised that sending them was not possible since both men were out on a mission for him in Ireland. They would not be back for a few weeks and he really didn't want to wait that long. Looking once again at the snowy owl, he sighed again and stood up; he would have to go check on the boy himself. Telling Hedwig to stay put, he walked out of his office. Once past the anti- apparition wards, he focussed his magic on disabling the wards on Privet Drive and immediately apparated away, hoping he would not startle Harry.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Hope you liked the chapter, thanks to anyone who has been reviewing Dangers in the Past for this last weeks, and thanks to Tanya and Vinnie for beta-reading this story. 


	2. Illness

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of lies.  
  
When he arrived at Harry's room, having directly apparated there from his hoise, the first thing he saw was the untouched tray of food lying on the ground. Looking over at the door carefully, he immediately spotted the flap that had been built in it so they could shove things through the door. Walking over to it, he tried to push the door open but it stayed firmly locked. On closer inspection, Dumbledore was able to determine that the door had been locked from the outside and that there was no way to open it from his side of the room. Frowning, he looked at the tray once again, noticing how little foot there actually was, just some vegetables and some burned toast.  
  
A small whimper claimed his attention and the old headmaster moved towards the bed. There, lying under a thin sheet, he was able to make out Harry's shivering form. The boy was sleeping fitfully, moaning and thrashing around the bed weakly. Carefully, as not to disturb the boy, he pushed the sheet away; he wanted to get a good look at the child. The sight that greeted him worried him even more. Harry was dressed in his school uniform, but even the robes couldn't hide the fact that he had become incredibly thin in the small amount of time he had spent with his relatives. Seeing that the boy had begun to tremble even more, he gently put a hand on the child's forehead. He gasped softly, the child was burning up! Why weren't his relatives doing anything about it? But looking slowly around the room, the sad reality of Harry's summer life revealed itself before him. His only living relatives didn't care about him. The old wizard stilled, trying to fight down the guilt that had started raging through his mind. Why had Harry never explained to him what was going on in this house? Sighing, he looked back down at the small, brave boy and decided that it was time for them to leave. He wasn't sure what he would do with Harry, but he knew that anywhere would be a better place for him than here.  
  
Silently, Dumbledore summoned Harry's trunk into the room and carefully packed the parchments that had been lying on the table. Then, with a small movement of his hand, he sent the trunk back to his house; where he was planning to take Harry. Once again, he moved towards the bed, only this time, he wrapped the blankets around the child. After making sure he had everything, he picked up the small bundle, noticing how light Harry had become, and without a backwards look, he apparated away.  
  
Once he had landed in front of his house, he mentally replaced the wards on Privet Drive; there was no sense in worrying the ministry, and then started to walk towards the house. Once inside, Dumbledore swiftly walked towards the living room and placed Harry on the couch. His first order of business was making sure that Harry would be as comfortable as possible.  
  
After having rearranged the sheet around the thin boy, he walked towards the trunk that was now situated near the couch. Upon opening it, he started to look through the boy's clothes, trying to find some pyjamas that would fit the boy better than his school robes. What he saw disgusted him. How could the boy walk around with those rags? They were at least twice his size and they looked very worn out. Sighing, he dropped the shirt he had been looking at and closed the trunk. If the wizarding world knew what kind of clothes their hero was forced to wear, the muggles would get hurt. After making sure Harry was still sleeping, Dumbledore walked out of the living room; he was sure he had some clothes that would fit the child far better than those things his relatives called clothes. When the boy was better he would have to make sure he got some clothes, he could not keep wearing those rags.  
  
When he came back a few minutes later, he was startled to see that Harry was sitting up on the couch. The boy was shaking badly. He had his head in his knees and was trying to calm himself down by taking deep breaths. Silently, Dumbledore dropped the clothes he had found on a chair and approached the boy.  
  
Sitting down on the couch next to him, he could easily hear that the child was crying, and for the first time in a long while, he didn't know what to do. He knew Harry well enough to know that the boy wouldn't like the fact that Dumbledore was seeing him so vulnerable. On the other hand, the headmaster could clearly see Harry needed some comfort and since he was the only one here, he would have to provide it. He was still contemplating what he should do when Harry suddenly stood up. The boy hadn't even taken two steps when his knees buckled underneath him. The headmaster reacted quickly and grabbed the child before he hurt himself. Pulling him upright, Dumbledore looked down at the dull, green eyes that were looking up at him in confusion. It was as if Harry was not really there, as if he didn't realise where he was and who was with him. Dumbledore frowned with worry when he felt the boy start to struggle against his grip and he firmly tightened his hold. Finally, after a few moments of struggling, Harry opened his mouth and softly spoke. "I'm going to be sick."  
  
The old headmaster didn't bother to answer. Instead he shifted his grip on Harry's arms and carefully led him towards the nearest bathroom, all the while keeping him upright and allowing him to lean against him. As soon as they arrived, Harry dropped on his knees and retched. Dumbledore, standing at his side, noticed how little the boy threw up, another fact that proved that he hadn't been eating much in the last few days.  
  
A few minutes later, Harry was lying on the ground limply, his eyes firmly closed. Dumbledore knelt next to him and, summoning a wet washcloth, he moved Harry so he was now lying against his shoulder. Gently, he started to wash the child's face. Harry stayed motionless in his arms, but Dumbledore could tell he was not sleeping.  
  
Once again he summoned a glass of water and put it against Harry's lips. "Come on, my child, drink this."  
  
The boy obeyed silently and drank about half the water before closing his mouth again. Dumbledore didn't force him to drink any more; instead he put the glass down and helped him to stand up on shaky legs. Slowly, they made their way back into the living room, with Dumbledore supporting most of the boy's weight. After making him lay back down, the old headmaster sat down next to him on the couch.  
  
"Harry, can you hear me?"  
  
The boy simply nodded his head lightly, not bothering to open his tired eyes.  
  
Dumbledore briefly wondered what was going on in his head, while he brushed some hair out of his face. "How are you feeling, Harry?"  
  
"Ill."  
  
Dumbledore would have laughed at the direct answer if it weren't so out of character for the boy. Harry never admitted to not feeling well, carefully leaving everyone in the dark about practically everything that regarded his health.  
  
"When did you start to feel ill?"  
  
Harry frowned lightly, still keeping his eyes closed. "Don't know, maybe a few days after Hogwarts? I can't tell for sure."  
  
Dumbledore nodded worriedly and pressed a cool hand against the child's burning cheek. "Okay, child. Why don't you go back to sleep?"  
  
But Harry shook his head vehemently. "Don't want to. I don't want to see Cedric die again."  
  
Dumbledore stayed silent. He shouldn't be surprised, he should have known something like this was likely to happen. Sighing, the headmaster pulled the blankets tighter around Harry small form and stood up.  
  
"I'm leaving for just a moment, stay lying here, okay, Harry?"  
  
The child nodded slightly and the headmaster quickly went to his office where he kept all his potions. Severus always made sure he was well stocked and ready for any emergency. After fetching a bottle of Dreamless Sleeping potion, he returned to Harry and made the boy drink a bit of it. He waited a few minute's at the child's side, until he was sure he was completely asleep. Dumbledore then moved to sit into an armchair, his eyes never leaving Harry's troubled face. What should he do now?  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks to everyone for reviewing, I hope you'll like this as much as Dangers in the Past. I also thank my two beta-readers, Tanya and Vinnie, very much. Merry Christmas to everyone! 


	3. Waking up

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of lies.  
  
Dumbledore was sitting comfortably, regarding the small boy sleeping peacefully on his couch. At the same time, his mind was racing, trying to come up with a solution for his current dilemma. What should he do with the boy now? If anyone found out that Harry was with him, they would both be in more danger than they were now. Having the Boy-Who-Lived and Dumbledore in the same house would be a too good an opportunity for Voldemort to pass up. On the other hand, he could not send Harry back to his aunt and uncle's house. Even if he was safe there from Voldemort, it was painfully clear he was not safe from his family, and, most importantly, from himself. If the boy had been considering suicide, as the letter seemed to indicate, then that meant that he needed someone to watch over him constantly and the Dursley's obviously wouldn't do the job. He couldn't even consider sending the boy to the Weasley's or the Granger's since that would put both families in even more danger then they already were. Anyways, knowing Harry, he'd probably be worrying himself sick over their safety, and it was not really a good idea to stress out the boy any further. Sirius and Remus would be ideal, but they were away on a mission for him, and even when they came back, they usually moved around a lot, trying to stay clear of the ministry. They couldn't provide the peace and quiet a sick teen needed. To send Harry to Hogwarts was not an option, since the aurors would be walking around the castle and Dumbledore had to admit that his trust in the Ministry was limited. Besides, the castle was no safer than any other place at the moment without its teachers and with most of the wards down. He mentally thought about all the teachers who could take care of the boy, but they were all working for him in one way or another, besides, he would only really trust Harry to Minerva or Severus. Minerva was not an option since she didn't have a house of her own and had taken residence in her sister's house. And Severus, well, even he wasn't insane enough to place a sick Harry Potter in the care of Severus Snape; such and action would only ensure that by the time school came around again, they would both be harmed in ways he didn't even want to imagine.  
  
No, it seemed Harry would be safest with him, but he would have to conceal the boy's presence. No one was to know that he was there. But that presented a new problem. How could he hide the fact that someone else was now living in his house? It wouldn't really be a problem now that Harry was sick and would spent most of his time in bed, but later on, Dumbledore didn't want to have to keep him locked inside his room. It would be no better than with the Dursleys, yet, he couldn't let his various guests see the boy. No, he corrected, he could let them see Harry, only he had to make sure they didn't recognise him. That was the solution; he would have to disguise the boy so no one would be able to tell that the child staying with the headmaster was Harry Potter. But there would be problems if he used magic, there were plenty of wizards who are able to see through charmed disguises. Potions wouldn't help either, the polyjuice was really not very practical since you had to take it every hour and you would look like someone who already existed. No, Dumbledore knew that he would have to disguise Harry the muggle way. As for a cover up story, well, no one really knew his family all that well, his brother Aberforth had remained pretty much in the shadow of the public eye and it would be easy to pass Harry as one of his brother's grandsons.  
  
His decision made, Dumbledore stood up from the armchair and levitated Harry up. Quickly, the old headmaster walked to a small room that was connected to his office. The room had only a bed in it, along with a small cupboard and a night table at one side and a small library on the other. The headmaster gently placed Harry's sleeping form on the bed, and with a wave of his wand, changed him into the pyjamas he had found earlier. After tucking the boy in tightly, he closed the windows and the heavy curtains, effectively blocking the light from the room. Turning on the small light that was situated on the night table, he sat down on the edge of the bed and put a hand on Harry's forehead. The boy still felt fairly warm, but just to make sure, he took his temperature, tapping his wand on the child's forehead twice. Turns out that his fever was fairly high, but luckily not enough to require immediate medical attention. Summoning a basin with some cold water in it and a cloth, he started to bathe the boy's forehead. After a few minutes, he stopped and pulled the cloth over Harry's eyes. Making sure everything was in order, he walked to the office, leaving the door ajar so he would be able to hear Harry if the boy was in trouble.  
  
Still waiting in his office was Harry's loyal owl. Dumbledore regarded her for a moment; he really couldn't have her around if his little charade was to succeed. Striding over to the animal, he gently petted her and softly spoke to her. "Go back to Hogwarts, Hedwig, and wait there for us there, I promise you that Harry will be safe here." The owl regarded him for a few moments before spreading her wings and flying out of the window. With a sigh, the old headmaster finally sat back in his seat and returned his attention to the papers he had left on his desk a few hours ago.  
  
It was a few hours later when Harry woke up. He was feeling slightly better; at least he didn't have the urge to throw up anymore. When he sat up, the boy got slightly dizzy, but it passed after sitting still for a few moments. Opening his eyes, he realized that the images that had haunted his dreams had not been induced by the fever, but rather, were real: he was no longer at the Dursleys'. Even if the room was dark, he could tell by the slight light that came in from a door in front of him. So, if he wasn't there, then where was he? He had dreamed he was with Dumbledore, but had it been a dream? Harry stood up on shaking legs and shivered; it was either cold in the room, or maybe it was just him? He had, after all, been feeling strange lately. Shrugging, he slowly made his way towards the light and silently pushed the door open further. The sight that greeted him made him gasp. He was indeed with Dumbledore, but why?  
  
The small sound Harry had produced didn't go unnoticed by the old headmaster, who looked up sharply. Dumbledore frowned when he saw Harry leaning against the doorframe, looking back at him in shock. Looking sternly at the boy, he spoke. "What are you doing out of bed, Harry?"  
  
The boy took a step back and lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Sir, I didn't know I wasn't allowed to get up."  
  
Dumbledore's gaze softened and he stood up. "Harry, you're ill, you shouldn't be walking around."  
  
The old man wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Come on, let's get you back into bed."  
  
The headmaster led Harry back into his room and tucked him in. Then Dumbledore sat down next to him, gently put a hand on his forehead and took his temperature. Harry stayed still, unsure how to react at the unexpected kindness of his headmaster. Sure, Dumbledore had always been somewhat of his confidant at school, but this went beyond that.  
  
The old headmaster was pleased to see that Harry's fever had gone down a bit, now he only had to make sure to get some food into him.  
  
"Are you hungry, Child?"  
  
The boy shook his head slightly. "No, Sir."  
  
Dumbledore frowned. "Nevertheless, I would like it if you ate a bit, Harry, you're much too thin."  
  
Obediently, the boy nodded, keeping his eyes on the man as he stood up and walked out of the room. Dumbledore headed to the fireplace and called his only house-elf, Twinkle, who readily agreed to bring Harry some food. A few seconds later, a small house-elf dressed in a blue dress appeared in front of the headmaster and handed him a tray of food. Dumbledore returned to Harry's room and put the tray down onto the night table so he could help the boy sit up.  
  
The boy silently started to eat, a little unnerved at Dumbledore's gaze that followed every move he made. After he had finished all the soup, Harry found that his eyelids were drooping, but he didn't want to go back to sleep. He needed to talk to Dumbledore; there were many things he needed to understand.  
  
The headmaster saw him fighting to keep his eyes open and smiled softly down at him. "Go back to sleep, Harry. You need all the rest you can get; we will talk tomorrow. Come on."  
  
Reluctantly, Harry allowed the headmaster to tuck him back in and before Dumbledore had left the room, he was deeply asleep.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: I'm sorry this is taking so long to get out, but I'm just about to start my exams and they take a lot of time (, but don't worry, I will continue getting chapters out, it just will take a bit more of time. Thanks for all reviews, and thanks to my beta-readers, Vinnie and Tanya. 


	4. Morning

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of lies.  
  
Harry didn't wake up until the next morning. For the first time in two weeks, he actually had slept peacefully throughout the night. Thinking back about it, the boy realized that might be because of Dumbledore's presence near him, or, the more realistic option being that the headmaster had added a sleeping potion in his soup the night before. Eitherway, Harry didn't mind. It was a nice change not to have the same nightmare that had been plaging every night since the third task.  
  
His musings were suddenly interrupted by Dumbledore's presence. The headmaster looked as cheerful as ever and smiled widely down at him.  
  
"Good morning, my child, did you sleep well?"  
  
Harry returned the smile shyly. "Very well. Thanks for asking, sir."  
  
Dumbledore sat down next to him once again. "That's good to hear. And how are you feeling?"  
  
The question was accompanied with a hand on his forehead. "Better than yesterday, sir."  
  
The old man nodded, but nevertheless took his temperature. "You still have a fever." He looked down at him sternly. "I don't want to see you out of bed if it's not necessary, is that understood, Harry?"  
  
The boy nodded slightly, not even thinking of arguing with the man when he used that tone of voice. "Yes, sir."  
  
Dumbledore smiled again. "Good. Now let's get you some breakfast."  
  
The headmaster disappeared into his office and came back shortly, carrying a tray. Harry sat up and was relieved to see there wasn't much food on the tray. Just a bit of toast and orange juice. It seemed that Dumbledore remembered how upset his stomach had been the day before. The boy started to eat slowly, eyeing the juice distrustfully. Dumbledore noticed and raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Harry? Don't you like orange juice?"  
  
The boy looked up from his food and shook his head. "No, no, it's fine."  
  
"But?"  
  
Harry looked at him for a moment before answering. "I was just wondering if you had put a sleeping potion in it, like last night."  
  
For a moment, Harry was afraid Dumbledore would be offended by his mistrust, but then the old man laughed, putting him at ease. "Relax, Harry. There is no sleeping potion in the juice. I want to talk with you," he paused for a moment and then added, "but you're going to drink a sleeping potion as soon as we've finished talking. If you're not going to sleep naturally, which I can tell you're not, we'll have to make you sleep using potions. You need your rest, especially now that you're ill."  
  
Harry nodded slightly; there was no way he could argue with the man about this, so he didn't even try. After he finished his breakfast, Dumbledore showed him to the small bathroom on the other side of the man's office. It was decorated completely in soft blues and looked like it was not usually used. Before Harry had the chance to lock the door, Dumbledore put a hand on it and firmly told him that the door was going to stay open so he could hear him. Also, the old headmaster told him that the water had to be slightly cool so he wouldn't get his fever up again and that he had to go back to bed as soon as he was finished. Harry listened in embarrassment at all those instructions; no one had ever cared about him while he was sick and he didn't quite know how to react to it. Well, no one with the exception of Madam Pomfrey, but that was different; it was the nurse's job to care for people. Harry couldn't help feeling that he was being a burden. After all, taking care of sick students over the summer wasn't the headmaster's job, Harry tried to tell the old man that he didn't need to worry about him and that he could close the door. The older man didn't even want to listen to him. Calmly, he told Harry that if he didn't follow his instructions, he would be forced to bathe him himself to make sure the boy didn't hurt himself. Seeing the determined glint in the older man's eyes, Harry knew the headmaster was being completely serious and that he had no choice but to give in to the man's wishes.  
  
Half an hour later, Harry was back in bed. Washing up had taken him more time than usual as he kept getting dizzy, but Dumbledore, who had joined him in his room, didn't say anything about it. Instead, he tucked him in and sat in a chair next to his bed. Looking down at the boy, the old headmaster smiled gently and softly spoke. "I'm sure you have a few questions, Harry. Go ahead and ask them."  
  
Harry thought for a while, and, not knowing how to begin, just asked the first question that came to his mind. "Where are we, sir?"  
  
Dumbledore chuckled softly. "We're at my house. I live here during the summers, when I'm not needed at Hogwarts. Some aurors are currently working on the castle's defences and they work better if there's no one in their way."  
  
Harry nodded in understanding. "And how did I get here?"  
  
"I retrieved you from your aunt and uncle's."  
  
Harry frowned. "Why? I thought I was safe there."  
  
Dumbledore looked at him intently. "You are safe from Voldemort there, yes, but seeing the state I found you in, I would say Voldemort was the last of your problems."  
  
Harry blushed a bit and looked down, but still he didn't understand. "But if I wasn't in any danger from Voldemort, why did you come?"  
  
Dumbledore reached in one of the pockets of his robe and took out a piece of parchment, which he gave to Harry. "Do you remember writing this?"  
  
Harry frowned and read the short letter, then his face turned bright red while he mumbled an apology. "Sorry, I didn't mean for you to get this."  
  
Dumbledore sighed softly and took the letter back. "I realize that, Harry. But you really should have told someone how you were feeling. It's not good to keep all those feelings inside, it always ends up doing more harm than good. Luckily, Hedwig was smart enough to bring this to me, so we will leave it at that, at least for now."  
  
Both stayed silent for a while, and then Harry looked up and asked. "What now?"  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. Thanks for my beta-readers, Tanya and Vinnie. And I don't think I have mentioned this before, but you can also find this story in french, translated by the very talented author Pheneatis. (http://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1125469) 


	5. Decisions

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. Web of Lies.  
  
"What now?"  
  
Dumbledore studied him for a while before answering. "I've been thinking about it. You obviously can't go back to the Dursley's." Harry opened his mouth to protest but the old man silenced him with a stern look. "No, Harry, you're not going back there. End of discussion."  
  
Harry shut his mouth abruptly; he wasn't going to argue with his headmaster when he used that tone of voice. It's not that he wanted to go back to his relative's house, he just didn't want to be a burden to anyone, and he didn't want to put them in danger.  
  
If Dumbledore noticed the emotions running through Harry's eyes, he didn't mention it. Instead, he calmly started to tell the boy what was going to happen. "I've been thinking about what would be better for you, and finally, I've decided that the only viable option was for you to stay with me." Harry opened his mouth once again, but the old man was quicker. "And before you start arguing with me, I'm already in danger, you staying with me won't change that. Besides, even if this house is not as heavily protected as Hogwarts or the Dursley's, it's safe enough. We just will need to take a few precautions, and I'm sure everything will be fine."  
  
Harry was looking down again when he said softly, "You don't have to do this, Sir. I suppose you're very busy and I don't want to be a burden. I'm sure I can go back to the Dursleys, everything is fine now."  
  
Dumbledore looked sternly down at him. "As I said, that is out of the question." Then his face softened and he placed a gentle hand on the boy's cheek. "Look at me, Child." Harry hesitantly did as he was told and looked the man in the eye. "Harry, I don't mind having you here. I know you have a lot of problems right now. I can easily see that and I would like to help you through this difficult time. I'm also doing what I think is safer for everyone. Understood?"  
  
Harry was still looking unsure but nodded, knowing he could not really argue with the man's logic. Dumbledore easily noticed that the boy didn't really believe him but decided it was best not to press the matter for now. He would have to help Harry through his insecurities when he was feeling better. His musings were interrupted when Harry spoke again.  
  
"You said we would have to take some precautions."  
  
Dumbledore sat back in his chair and smiled slightly back at the small boy. "Yes. As I said, the house is safe, but if Voldemort really wanted to get in, he would be able to do it, albeit with some effort. I would prefer it if no one knew you're here. You and I together in the same house with nothing else as protection but some wards may draw lots of. unnecessary attention." Dumbledore paused for a moment when he saw Harry biting his lip and lowering his head. With a small sigh, he lowered his voice and trying to be as comforting as possible said, "it's not your fault, Harry, please try to stop thinking that way."  
  
The boy looked up, a bit startled, into the man's concerned eyes and nodded slightly. "I'll try."  
  
Dumbledore didn't seem convinced but continued with his explanation. "Very well. I have been thinking about the best solution. The principal problem is that I have a lot of visitors. Since Hogwarts is unavailable, this has become more or least the Headquarters of the Voldemort resistance. People tend to come in unexpectedly with their reports and it would be hard for them not to see you."  
  
"I could stay in my room when."  
  
Dumbledore immediately cut off that train of thought. "No, that's exactly what I don't want. You're going to be living here, and you have every right to go around as you wish. Besides, it would be very hard to get people not to notice; the stranger things are, the more people want to find out about them. You should know that."  
  
Harry blushed a bit, knowing very well what Dumbledore was talking about, but even so, he wasn't distracted of the real topic of the conversation. "But then."  
  
Dumbledore cut him off once again. "We're going to disguise you."  
  
Harry looked at him incredulously. "Disguise me?"  
  
Dumbledore nodded happily, ignoring the shocked look in his student's face. "Yes, but not the magical way. This house is quite solitary and nearly every spell done in here is easily tracked down. People could easily sense there was a spell on you by just coming near you. It would be too dangerous. So, as soon as you're up to it, we'll be going to the muggle world."  
  
Harry looked even more surprised. "Ok, well, that might work, but," Dumbledore gave a small sigh but didn't interrupt, "what will you tell everyone? How am I supposed to act when someone I know comes? I really can't act all that well."  
  
The old man chuckled a bit. "Well, for starters, I'll introduce you as my grandson, or more accurately, one of my brother's grandsons, he has quite a few so no one will be suspicious. We can tell people you're here because of family problems, there's no need to explain more than that and it's better if we keep it vague. As to how to act, that's up to you; you have to try and act differently, do things you normally wouldn't do, but also try to act as naturally as possible. We'll be able to discus this more in depth when we've got your disguise together. Just don't try to startle me too much, for my acting skills are not limitless either."  
  
Harry chuckled a bit. "I'll try."  
  
"Very well. Now that that's over, if nothing else happens, I think that by tomorrow you'll be well enough to go to the Muggle World. I would prefer to wait a bit longer, but it's necessary that we get you disguised as soon as possible." Then, looking down at Harry, Dumbledore added, "and don't think that the fact that we're going out means you're alright, so it will be straight back to bed as soon as we're back."  
  
Harry sighed. "Yes, Sir."  
  
Dumbledore shook his head slightly. "Harry, I'm going to be your grandfather, you just can't keep calling me 'sir'. And since people come and go around here as they wish, you will need to call me 'granddad' all the time, so you might as well start calling me that now, ok?"  
  
Harry blushed. This was turning out to be a very uncomfortable situation. "Yes, si. I mean, yes, Granddad." The boy leaned back into his pillows. "God, that's weird."  
  
Dumbledore laughed softly. "You'll get used to it, my child." Then the headmaster stood up and stretched out. "I'm going to get you the sleeping potion and a fever reducing potion since your temperature is raising again and then, it's time you go back to sleep."  
  
Harry watched as the man that was going to be his grandfather left the room, only to return shortly thereafter with two vials. Sitting down on the chair once again, Dumbledore gave Harry the first vial before speaking. "I forgot to tell you that you'll have to think of a name, as I can hardly keep calling you Harry."  
  
The boy nodded while he drank down the second potion. Dumbledore had just enough time to catch the vial, before Harry slumped back into his pillows in a deep sleep.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews, and thanks to my beta-readers, Tanya and Vinnie. 


	6. Shopping

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
The next morning, Dumbledore woke Harry up early; he wanted to go out as soon as possible, knowing that Harry would be more rested just after a long sleep than later in the day. And, of course, there would be less people around, at least for the clothes. The headmaster shook the sleeping boy gently, calling his name softly. He wanted to go today. The more time Harry spent as himself, the more likely it would be for someone to see him, but if the boy really wasn't feeling up to it, he would have to wait. After all, Harry's health was the most important thing. Finally, Harry opened his eyes slowly and came face to face with his worried Headmaster.  
  
"Good morning, my child."  
  
Harry yawned and rubbed his eyes sleepily. "Morning, Headmaster. What time is it?"  
  
Dumbledore helped him to sit up and put a hand to his forehead, frowning a bit at the slight warmth emanating from the boy. "It's nearly eight o'clock. Are you up to going into the Muggle world? If you are, you should get up now."  
  
Harry nodded his head gently, making the older man's hand drop. "I'm fine. We can go now."  
  
Dumbledore still looked unsure, but seeing that Harry was decided, he helped him get ready. Once the boy was dressed and had eaten some breakfast, Dumbledore placed concealing charms on them both and together they left the house. After walking past the anti-apparition charms, the old man magicked them to Muggle London. Harry didn't recognize the place and Dumbledore only told him they were far away from the Leaky Cauldron. After all, there was no sense in risking being seen by other wizards. Dumbledore, keeping an arm around the boy's waist to steady him, led him into a large clothes shop. Harry had never been into one and couldn't help but look around in wonder. Dumbledore tightened his grip slightly and Harry looked up at the smiling face. "Well, Harry, what kind of clothes do you want?"  
  
Harry began to blush suddenly and looked away. "Sir, you don't need to buy me new clothes."  
  
The old man looked down at him sternly. "Call me 'Granddad', Harry. You have to get used to it. About the clothes, it's not open to discussion; you can either choose them or I'll do it for you."  
  
He could guess how Harry was feeling. After all, this was probably the first time anyone had brought him to a shop so they could buy him things, but there was no way he was going to drop this. The boy needed new clothes and he was not about to allow him to talk his way out of it. It was about time somtone took care of this child.  
  
On the other hand, Harry's blush grew and he refused to look up to his mentor, debating whether to argue with the man or let him do what he wanted. Finally, he decided to let Dumbledore buy him some clothes; he could always repay him later, and it would be more comfortable to have clothes that actually fit him. But, he also decided to let the man pick the clothing, since he had no idea how many things he should take or needed.  
  
"Ok, but I have no idea what to pick; I've never bought clothes before, besides the school robes, of course."  
  
Dumbledore nodded in understanding, a bit suspicious that Harry had agreed so quickly, but he pushed his suspicions aside and looked at the boy carefully. The first thing he noticed, not for the first time, was how small Harry was. All those years with the Dursleys had not done him any good and Dumbledore would bet that even some first years were bigger than he was. That last thought gave him an idea.  
  
Harry had stayed still under the Headmaster's intense gaze, getting more nervous by the minute. "Er, Head... I mean, Granddad?"  
  
Dumbledore looked down at him with a small, mischievous smile. "Yes, my boy? By the way, you still have to choose a name."  
  
Harry blinked a moment. "Er, yes, I'll think about it. About the clothes..."  
  
Dumbledore's smile became bigger. "Oh, yes. I think I just had a wonderful idea."  
  
Harry looked warily at the twinkle that shone in his Headmaster's eyes. "Umm, what idea, si. Granddad?"  
  
Dumbledore's smile softened and he tightened his grip on the boy's waist. "My child, when everyone notices that you're missing, which they will, eventually, they will start looking for you. Don't you think people would become suspicious if they knew that I had suddenly taken in an unknown grandson? One who happens to be the same age as the missing Harry Potter?" Harry nodded slowly. Although he hadn't really thought about it, that made sense. Even though people respected Dumbledore too much to actually come out and directly accuse him of hiding him, they would suspect, and that would eventually reach Voldemort, rendering the disguise completely useless. Before he was able to question what the Headmaster had planned, the old man continued talking. "They are going to be looking for a fifteen year old boy, that's what would make people suspicious of you, but you're very small for your age; I have heard some people mention that you appear to be much younger than you actually are, so why don't use it to our advantage?"  
  
By then, Harry was positively gaping at him. "You want to make me look younger than I am?"  
  
Dumbledore simply nodded. "That wouldn't be difficult, it all lays in the clothes and the hair; and of course, in how you act, but I'm sure we'll be able to discuss this later. Come on now, let's go get you some new clothes."  
  
Before Harry could add another word, Dumbledore pushed him to the first rack of clothes.  
  
It was nearly two hours later, when they walked out of the shop. Harry was exhausted. He had never known buying clothes could be that tiring, altough truth be told, it most likely wouldn't have been that tiring if he hadn't been ill. Of course, it also could have taken less time if he hadn't argued with Dumbledore for the first hour; that is, until the man told him that if he didn't shut up he would put a silencing charm on him. Harry blushed a bit at the thought while he walked next to Dumbledore, leaning against the man's side. But, he argued with himself, it was entirely the other man's fault. He didn't need that many clothes, he could have done fine with a couple of jeans and some shirts, but no. the old man had to have bought him a whole new wardrobe, going from the twenty pairs of socks to the hat for windy days. The clothes were a tad bit childish for his taste, but he had had enough trouble getting Dumbledore to stop picking up so many things, so he hadn't argued about the shirt's images. Except, of course, the T-shirt with the Teddy Bear on it that the Headmaster had found cute.  
  
Harry was startled out of his thoughts by the headmaster's concerned voice. "Child?"  
  
The boy looked up and smiled tiredly at the old man, noticing he had shrunk all the bags. "Yes, Granddad?"  
  
Dumbledore put a hand on Harry's forehead. "Are you feeling all right?"  
  
Harry nodded. "Fine, I'm just tired. What do we have to do now?"  
  
The headmaster still looked at him a bit unsure; the boy's temperature wasn't very high right now, but he had a feeling it would soon start to rise again. On the other hand, they really needed to do this; there was no telling when someone would come to his house and he couldn't risk someone seeing Harry. Sighing slightly, he quickly led the boy towards an optician's shop. They would need to get some contact lenses since the boy's eyes were easily recognized. Once there, Dumbledore chose blue contact lenses that reminded him of his own eyes. After all, it would be better if they shared some features and the eyes would be the easiest to match.  
  
Once he had paid for the lenses, he led Harry towards the barber. They really had to do something about that hair.  
  
For his part, Harry had long given up arguing every point, and was just trying to keep up with the headmaster, knowing the old man would arrange everything for him and he just had to concentrate on keeping his eyes open. He was very grateful when the tall man made Harry sit down and started to work on his hair. He tiredly closed his eyes, trusting the man to do his job and Dumbledore to tell what he wanted. After all, his hair couldn't be worse than it was.  
  
Half an hour later he was gently shaken awake. "Come on, Child, wake up."  
  
Blinking, Harry looked up into his headmaster's concerned face and then stood up slowly, knowing they had to get going. He was about to stretch out when he froze in his spot. He could barely believe the image that greeted him when he looked in the mirror. Looking back at him with huge blue eyes, was the face of a kid, a kid with soft, straight, reddish hair. Blinking again, he tried to keep from gaping. It seemed Dumbledore had been right. As much as he hated to admit it, he didn't look a day older than some of the younger students that ran through Hogwarts. No one would recognize him, except for.  
  
"Come on, Child, we have to get going. We need to take care of one last thing."  
  
Harry nodded, looking warily at the scar that would help any witch and wizard recognize him. Making their way slowly, they went to yet another shop and Harry watched curiously as a woman started to put some kind of cream on his forehead. Looking down at the bottle the woman was holding, he realized it was make-up. Of course, that would be the easiest way to hide his scar. Finally, when he looked in the mirror the woman gave him, he saw an unfamiliar face looking back at him. No, there was no way that anyone was going to recognize him. Dumbledore paid for the make-up and led him outside. They were done and Harry was happy for it. Once they were standing in a side street, the headmaster sighed in relief. "I think we have everything. At least, for now."  
  
The man laughed at Harry's disbelieving face. "For now? Sir. I mean, Granddad, I think I have enough things to last me for years!"  
  
Dumbledore looked down at him sadly, making him feel uncomfortable, so he quickly changed the subject. "I've decided on a name."  
  
If the old man noticed the abrupt change, he didn't comment; he just nodded and curiously looked at him. "Well?"  
  
"Alexander, but you can call me 'Alec' for short."  
  
Dumbledore nodded in agreement, it was a good name, and it seemed to fit the boy just fine. "Alec it is then. Come one, let's go home. I can see you're exhausted and you really should be in bed instead of wandering around."  
  
Harry smiled slightly and nodded just before Dumbledore disapparated them both to home.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. Thanks to my beta-readers, Tanya and Vinnie. 


	7. Surprises

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
They silently walked the short pathway to the headmaster's house, having barely closed the door behind them when Twinkle, the house-elf, ran to greet them, talking excitedly. "Master, Master! Professor Severus Snape, Professor Minerva McGonagall and Mr. Alastor Moody are waiting for you, Master. They want to talk to you."  
  
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. That was an unexpected announcement since he hadn't summoned any of the three. He felt Harry stiffen at his side and he tightened his grip on the small boy's waist, trying to comfort him. Looking back at the house-elf, he tried to speak as calmly as possible, so as to not let Harry know how worried he was at the situation. He would have wished to have some more time for the boy to get used to this new situation. "Are they in my office, Twinkle?"  
  
The elf nodded vigorously. "Yes, Master."  
  
"Have you told them about Harry?"  
  
The elf looked somewhat offended. "No, Master, of course not. Twinkle told them only what Master ordered. That Master would be away for the morning."  
  
Dumbledore nodded, visibly pleased. "Good, well done, Twinkle. Now, please put these things into the blue room." He handed the elf most of the bags he had just un-shrunk. "And put these bags into the small room next to my office."  
  
The elf motioned to the bags and they disappeared with a small 'pop.' "Anything else, Master?"  
  
"Yes, could you bring us some lunch? I'm sure the professors and Alastor have not eaten yet either. Also, please bring some soup." Before the elf had the chance to go, Dumbledore spoke again. "Oh, and Twinkle."  
  
The elf turned around to watch him curiously. "Yes, Master?"  
  
The Headmaster motioned towards the boy. "From now on, this is Master Alexander. If anyone asks, he arrived here a few days ago and is my grandson. You will treat him as such and forget anyone named Harry Potter was ever here. Understood?"  
  
The elf's eyes shinned mischievously. "Yes, Master, Twinkle will do that."  
  
Then, with a soft 'pop,' she disappeared leaving them alone.  
  
Dumbledore quickly led Harry into a small sitting room and put the last bag he had been holding on the table. He rummaged through it for a moment and then turned towards the boy, who was now leaning against the wall, with some clothes in his hands. "Come on, Alec, we're going to change you into these clothes and then we'll see how well we've managed your disguise."  
  
The old man helped the exhausted boy change his clothes. Harry was really starting to not feel well and wished he could just go and lay down in his new bed. He was not only feeling ill, but he was also very nervous; he knew he would have to face people he knew while under Dumbledore's care, but starting with Severus Snape and Alastor Moody was not a good thing. Those two were some of the most suspicious men to walk on Earth. Dumbledore had noticed how pale Harry had become and frowned, putting a hand on the boy's forehead. "It seems your fever is starting to get very high again, Alec, I'd better put you in bed quickly, you look like you're about to pass out."  
  
Harry gave him a shaky smile but didn't say anything; instead, he allowed Dumbledore to push him into a chair and looked on in embarrassement as the old man bent to tie his sneakers. Once the Headmaster stood up, he looked over the boy carefully, everything seemed to be in place, but. Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. "I nearly forgot."  
  
He pulled a small necklace from one of the many pockets of his robe and gave it to Harry. "This, Alec, is a protection charm. It's very common in wizarding families to have their children wear them. You may have noticed your friend Ron wearing one." Harry nodded, remembering the small lion Ron always wore around his neck. "This one is special, Alec. In between the protective charms, there are smaller ones that will help your disguise. The most important being the ones that will change your voice, so no one will recognize it, and the one that will protect you from magical objects, like Alastor's eye. Remember to keep it on you all the time."  
  
Harry nodded in understanding and put the small phoenix necklace around his neck. "Thanks, Granddad."  
  
Harry's eyes widened at the strange sound coming from his throat, which was definitely not his voice. It sounded. childish. higher than normally. It seemed Dumbledore was determined to make him look like a kid. The Headmaster smiled down at him. "Well, I think we're all set, except that you still have to decide on how to act. Severus and Minerva know you quite well."  
  
Harry looked thoughtful. "I have to act differently than I usually do, right? Do things I usually wouldn't do."  
  
Dumbledore nodded in agreement. "Yes, but it can't be forced. The whole purpose of the acting thing is that they won't start to think you are like your old self, this way they are not going to be watching you all the time. If your act was forced, it would give it all away even sooner."  
  
Harry continued with this train of thought. "Then it would be good if they didn't ask me too many questions." He paused for a moment and then spoke again, "I could try to be rude so they would not approach me, but that wouldn't really work because you would be expected to do something about it and I can't be rude to you."  
  
Dumbledore chuckled slightly. "No, that wouldn't really work."  
  
Harry stayed silent for few more minutes, then he finally looked up at the man. "I'm supposed to be much younger, aren't I?"  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes."  
  
Harry suddenly walked up to the headmaster and gripped his arm. Dumbledore looked down in confusion. "Alec?"  
  
The boy smiled slightly and looked up at him. "I'll be very shy and distrustful from now on, Granddad. You'll have to protect me."  
  
Dumbledore couldn't help but start laughing at Harry's 'innocent' face. "I guess that will work. At least it suits you much better then being rude." He paused for a moment, and looked fondly down at the boy. "So, we'll go along with the shy act. I'm sure that at least Severus will not notice anything." Harry chuckled lightly and leaned more against the man's arm. Dumbledore frowned slightly and once again put a hand on the boy's forehead, not liking the heat that emanated from him. "Come on, Alec, it's about time I put you to bed. Let's hope we haven't forgotten anything."  
  
Harry nodded slightly, his eyes heavy with sleep, and with a great effort disentangled himself from the headmaster's arm. They walked in silence towards the man's office, each deep in thought. Dumbledore looked up when they neared the office and was not very surprised to hear shouts coming from inside. It was never a good idea to leave Severus and Alastor in the same room. He was grateful that Minerva was in there with them, else only Merlin knows what state he would have found both men in. He stopped in front of the closed door and once again looked down towards the sick child. "Ready?"  
  
Harry looked up. His face was pale, but in his deep blue eyes shone determination. The boy nodded slightly and took the headmaster's hand in his smaller one. Dumbledore squeezed it gently and, taking a deep breath, opened the door.  
  
As he had expected, both men were glaring at each other loudly, arguing about something he couldn't make out. Dumbledore rightly suspected that the only reason why they were still sitting in their chairs was because Minerva was leaning against his desk and pointing her wand at them.  
  
None of the office's occupants noticed them. Dumbledore stayed still for a few moments, with Harry once again pressed against his side, leaning heavily against him with his eyes half closed and his cheeks flushed with fever. One look at the boy told Dumbledore that if he didn't get the boy in a bed soon, he would collapse. All this excitement was too much for a sick boy and all those shouts weren't really helping as he could feel Harry wince at the loud sounds. Dumbledore looked back up and scowled slightly, enough was enough.  
  
When he spoke, his voice had acquired a cold edge that was rarely heard by the staff members of Hogwarts.  
  
"Do you think I can cross my office without being cursed, gentlemen?"  
  
The three adults jumped up startled and turned around to face him. They cringed a bit when they saw that his usually cheerful face was serious and his usually twinkling eyes were annoyed. Before any of them could answer, Dumbledore stepped inside, helping Harry to move with him. "Yes? Thank you." Without another word to the ashamed adults, he turned to the small boy and helped him walk towards the small room, ignoring the startled looks that they were receiving from the others.  
  
The three adults stared as Dumbledore gently pushed the child through his office and towards a closed door. Opening said door, the old headmaster ushered the boy towards the dark room that lay behind it. Before the headmaster followed, he looked back at them and ignoring their questioning looks, he spoke.  
  
"Twinkle is going to bring us lunch and a bit of soup for Alec. Please, Minerva, bring the soup inside when it's here. Severus, there's a sleeping potion on my table, put some of it in the soup before Minerva brings it in." Before closing the door after him he looked at them sternly. "And I don't want to hear anymore shouting or I will be forced to ask you to leave my house."  
  
He closed the door firmly, leaving three gaping people behind.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. 


	8. Bad news

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
Looking into the room, Dumbledore saw that Harry had curled up on the bed and was now shivering slightly from his fever. The old man lighted the room slightly, so he could see what he was doing. Then he walked over to the two bags that Twinkle had left in the room earlier and pulled out a pair of soft blue pyjamas. Turning towards the sick child, he sat down on the bed next to Harry and gently pulled Harry up, so he was sitting, leaning against his arm. "Come on, Alec, help me a bit; you will be more comfortable in these pyjamas."  
  
Harry blinked tiredly up towards his pretended grandfather and did his best to help the old man change his clothes. He was too tired to argue with the man or even feel embarrassed, so he changed into the sleeping clothes in a matter of a few minutes.  
  
Dumbledore was just tucking the boy under the covers when someone knocked on the closed door. Dumbledore gently put a few pillows behind Harry's back, so he was half sitting and then sat next to him himself, an arm lying carefully around the boy's skinny shoulders. Making sure everything was in order and that the make-up on the boy's forehead was still there, he looked towards the door and calmly called, "Come in."  
  
The door opened slowly, and Minerva came in balancing a tray in her hands. She looked into the half dark room and saw the Headmaster sitting on the bed with the unknown boy leaning against him. The old man looked up with a slight smile on his lips. "Ah, Minerva, thank you. Did Severus put the sleeping potion in there?"  
  
The woman nodded slightly. "Yes, Albus."  
  
She approached the bed and saw how the small boy scooted closer towards the headmaster, as if he wanted to hide behind him. Minerva smiled gently towards him, trying to make him calm down, letting him know he shouldn't be afraid of her, and she was pleased when she saw the boy relax slightly, even if his eyes kept following her every move. Finally, she reached Dumbledore's side and handed him the tray. The old Headmaster thanked her quietly, picked up the mug filled with soup and handed it to the boy.  
  
Harry stayed still for a moment, looking deeply into the mug; he wasn't really hungry and all he wanted to do was nothing more than to go to sleep.  
  
"Alec."  
  
Blinking, Harry looked up to the old man. The voice of his 'grandfather' had been gentle and patient, but he knew very well what the old man wanted him to do. Sighing, he put the mug to his lips and slowly began to drink the hot liquid, trying to ignore McGonagall's eyes, which were looking at him and his grandfather curiously.  
  
Shortly after he had finished, Harry started to feel even sleepier that he had been before. He barely felt Dumbledore stand up and lying him down on the bed, tucking him in gently. The headmaster's soft voice barely reached his ears when the old man spoke, "Go to sleep, my child. If you need anything, I'll be in the office, just call me. And remember, no walking around."  
  
Harry barely had the strength to mumble, "yes, Granddad." And the last thing he heard before completely falling asleep was McGonagall's shocked gasp.  
  
As soon as Dumbledore was sure that Harry was completely asleep, he turned to face his shocked deputy-headmistress. "Come on, Minerva, let's allow the child to sleep."  
  
He gently pushed her out of the room before giving her the chance to answer and closed the door after him. Snape and Moody were still sitting quietly in their chairs but they were not facing each other, obviously trying to forget the other man was in the room. Dumbledore tiredly sat down in his chair behind the large desk and gratefully picked up the tea that Twinkle had brought up. He was also tired; Harry wasn't an easy person to buy things for. The boy was terribly stubborn and he had had to put up a fight with him for nearly every piece of clothing he had wanted to buy. In the end, he had managed to get the child to accept the clothes, but he had desisted of buying him any books and games, as he had wanted to. He had seen how tired Harry was and knowing that the boy would argue with him, he had decided that it was best if he waited till a later day to buy him some more things.  
  
Looking up from his cup of tea, he noticed that the other three adults were still regarding him curiously. Sighing, he leaned back against his chair, sipping a bit of tea. "Sorry about that, it was not how I intended to introduce Alexander to you, but you didn't give much of a choice." He pondered for a moment if he should apologise for his rash words, but concluded that he had had every right to be annoyed. After all, they were in his office, not some war-zone.  
  
Snape was the first one to speak. "Who is the boy, Albus?"  
  
Dumbledore frowned upon the suspicious tone the other man had used, but answered nonetheless. "He's one of my brother's grandsons; he will be staying with me till term starts; well, maybe even longer."  
  
"Why is he staying with you?"  
  
Dumbledore looked firmly at his Potions Master. "There were some problems with his family, but I'm not going to discuss this with any of you. It's a personal matter."  
  
Minerva nodded slightly, knowing that they wouldn't get any more information on that particular subject. "Is he ill, Albus?"  
  
Dumbledore visibly relaxed back into his chair, a concerned frown crossing his face. "Yes, he is, but don't worry about him, he'll be fine. We just overdid it a bit this morning."  
  
Alastor grunted. "Will he be starting to go to Hogwarts this next year?"  
  
Dumbledore fought down a smile, it seemed his little deception was working. "I don't know, Alastor. It all depends on his parents. Alec was going to be home-schooled, but now, I'm not sure what they will decide."  
  
Before any of the three could ask anything else, Dumbledore inserted his own question. "Can I ask what you're doing here? I don't remember calling a meeting."  
  
Alastor growled towards Snape. "That's what I would like to know. Snape called me a few hours ago and told me to come here as soon as possible, but once he knew you weren't here, he refused to tell us anything. The only thing I got out of the blasted man is that it has something to do with Potter."  
  
Dumbledore sat up sharply and looked at his spy intently. "Harry? What's wrong with him?"  
  
Alastor and Minerva also looked expectantly towards the Potions Master, waiting anxiously to hear his answer. The dark-haired man shook his head slightly and centred his attention on the headmaster. "Nothing yet, but there's something wrong with the charms that surround his house. Voldemort says he has nearly been able to break through them; he's sure he will be able to do so by tomorrow evening and is planning to attack at once. He doesn't want to risk you hearing about it."  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my betas, Vinnie and Tanya. 


	9. No one cares for just Harry

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
The room was deadly silent for a moment, when Minerva stood up abruptly, a panicked gleam in her eyes. "We have to get him out of there!"  
  
Dumbledore nodded firmly. Yes, there was no other way, he would have to send someone to 'get' Harry, and while he wished he didn't have to attempt such a ruse, it was too soon for them to discover that the boy was missing, the child had not had time to adjust to the changes. He cursed in his mind, but knew he didn't have a choice; he could only hope everything would work out. "Minerva, take Hagrid with you and get him out tonight. Do try to keep it quiet, as we're going to try and surprise Voldemort." Silently he added: 'He won't be the only one surprised.' Then he turned towards the auror. "Alastor, you're going to have to warn a few of your aurors. Try to keep it as quiet as possible. We know the Ministry is full of spies, but if we manage to pull them into a trap, we'll gain a lot of information."  
  
After that, the four of them started to make plans on how to catch as many Death Eaters as possible, along with how they were going to protect Harry. Of course, Dumbledore knew they wouldn't find him there, but he had to keep up the charade.  
  
It was nearly eight o'clock when the three wizards left his office to warn the people they would need and to organise the raid. Dumbledore immediately went to check on Harry, but saw that he was still deeply asleep. He should have asked Severus when the boy was going to wake up. Knowing the paranoid man, he wouldn't have wanted a young child to overhear their discussion and it would still take hours until Harry woke up.  
  
He had been right. By eleven, when Minerva and Hagrid were supposed to go and fetch Harry, the boy in question still wasn't giving signs of waking up. Dumbledore, seeing the time, moved once again to his office and sat heavily down in his chair. The night wouldn't be pleasant and he needed to prepare himself. He was going to outright lie to some of his closest friends and he really didn't like it much. But, in this case, there was no other option; he couldn't risk Harry's safety. He trusted his friends, but who knew what could happen. They were always working for him, therefore they were in constant danger, he wouldn't let them know where Harry was in case they were captured by Voldemort. He had even considered erasing Twinkle's memory of Harry. No, it was better that the only Harry and he knew the truth.  
  
Sighing, he looked out of the window. The two teachers were supposed to bring Harry to him as soon as they had got him. The boy would have been staying there until they found a proper hiding place.  
  
The slamming of a door suddenly interrupted his musings. They were here. Dumbledore stood up calmly and prepared himself. As expected, Minerva and Hagrid barged into the room with panicked looks upon their faces. The deputy-headmistress was the first one to speak. "Albus! He's gone!"  
  
Dumbledore hoped Harry wouldn't wake up right now, it would be better if he were in his room while he dealt with this. Sighing to himself, he put on a carefully confused face, and looked at his two friends questioningly. "Minerva, Hagrid, please calm down. Who is gone?"  
  
Luckily for him, the two teachers were too distraught to notice that his tone of voice was not genuine. Minerva started to pace in front of his desk. "Harry, of course! Who else?!"  
  
Dumbledore ignored the question and took in a sharp breath, trying to look as startled and worried as possible. "What do you mean, he's gone? He was supposed to stay with his aunt and uncle! Have you checked the Weasley's house? And the Granger's?"  
  
Both teachers shook their heads in a negative response and Dumbledore nodded firmly. "Very well, Hagrid, you check the Burrow and ask everyone if they know anything about Mr. Potter. Minerva, you go visit Miss Granger. I'll owl Sirius and Remus, they might know something."  
  
Both nodded and rushed out of the office, ready to do what Dumbledore had asked, each hoping they would find the boy before anything happened to him.  
  
Once he was sure his both friends had left, Dumbledore sank back into his chair. Taking out a piece of parchment, he began to write a letter to Sirius. He had to think carefully about what to put in it; knowing the man as he did, he knew that the animagus would be there within the next twenty- four hours, demanding to know where his godson was. And Dumbledore would prefer if he weren't too angry.  
  
"They found out, haven't they?"  
  
Dumbledore turned his head sharply; he had not heard anyone come in. Seeing the boy standing near the door to his room made him sigh in relief.  
  
"Don't do that, Alec! I don't like people sneaking up on me. Besides, you should be in bed, you're still ill."  
  
The boy cringed a bit and lowered his head. "I'm sorry."  
  
Dumbledore looked at the bowed head and sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just, this whole thing is going too quick for my liking; I had hoped we would have some time to adapt to our new roles, but by tomorrow, everyone will know you have disappeared."  
  
They stayed silent for a few moments, before Harry walked up to the old headmaster. "We can still stop with it, Sir, just tell Professors' Snape, McGonagall and Moody that Alec returned home."  
  
Dumbledore shook his head forcefully. "No, this is much safer for you than anything else we could come up with."  
  
Harry frowned. "But it will give you much more trouble. Don't think I don't know how the wizarding world will react to my disappearance. And the fact that you, along with the Ministry's help, were supposed to keep the hero safe will not help you at all. Everyone will be furious that The Boy Who Lived has disappeared."  
  
Dumbledore frowned at the bitterness that laced the boy's tone of voice. "Come here, Alec."  
  
The boy obeyed and moved closer. Once the child was within reach, Dumbledore pulled the small boy to him and made him sit on his lap. Harry was blushing furiously and tried to get up, but to no avail. The old headmaster had put his arms tightly around his small form, and was now hugging him to his chest. They remained silent for a while. Harry still sitting rigidly in the man's lap, and the old headmaster trying to make him relax by rubbing his back slowly. Finally, after a few more tense moments, Harry allowed himself to relax against the man and put his head on Dumbledore's shoulder. When Harry was completely relaxed and leaning against Dumbledore's chest, the old headmaster spoke again. "My child, people will not only miss you because you're The Boy Who Lived." Harry snorted softly but Dumbledore continued, "People will also miss you because you're Harry, and they like you."  
  
Harry shook his head. "Only a handful will miss me so. Sirius, the Weasleys, Hermione, that's it. Everyone else, all those people who are going to give you so much trouble, only will want their hope, their hero, back."  
  
Dumbledore couldn't really argue about that; he knew that the boy was right, and he hated the fact that Harry knew. Since he couldn't try to tell him otherwise, he tried to make him feel better. "Trouble? That's an understatement, Child. But the one who's going to give me trouble is your godfather, not everyone else."  
  
Harry couldn't help but laugh. "You're right on that one. I hope you're ready to face him, because he'll be here as soon as he gets wind of this." Turning his head so he could see Dumbledore's eyes, he added. "When are you going to tell him?"  
  
Dumbledore grimaced. "I was about to owl him. I expect him to be here by tomorrow evening." He sighed and looked down at the boy cradled in his arms. "Are you hungry, Alec?"  
  
Harry shook his head, even though he knew he would probably not get away with it. "Not really, Granddad. Besides, I don't think you are going to make a very good impression when McGonagall and Hagrid come back and see you here doing nothing but taking care of me."  
  
Dumbledore looked down at him sternly. "It is important that you're taken care of."  
  
Harry shrugged lightly. "Not when Harry Potter is missing."  
  
Instead of arguing, Dumbledore waved his wand and made a chair appear next to him. Harry groaned a bit but allowed Dumbledore to put him in the chair, marvelling at how strong the old headmaster really was. He watched as Dumbledore called Twinkle and within a few minutes, he had a bowl of steaming soup and some chicken in front of him.  
  
"There you go. You eat and I work. Everyone is going to be happy this way."  
  
Harry half glared at the man for the last comment, but Dumbledore had already started on the letter again. Alec regarded the plate in distaste; he really wasn't hungry.  
  
A few minutes later, when Harry had not yet touched his food, Dumbledore spoke up without looking away from the parchment he was writing on. "Do you want me to feed you, Alec?"  
  
Harry didn't think twice about it. He quickly picked up the fork and started to eat the chicken, all on his own.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews, and thanks to my beta-readers, Tanya and Vinnie.  
  
To Silvestar and Khari: No em fa res que em deixeu els reviews en català, de fet, es bo saber que hi ha gent de la nostra terra per aqui (. Khari, m'encanta com estas fent la traducció, sempre miro a veure si has posat un capítol nou ja que és interessant veure la manera en que expliques la història. Continua, que t'està quedant molt bé. 


	10. Worries

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies  
  
The silence in the office was again broken by running footsteps. Dumbledore, who had just finished writing the letter to Sirius and Remus, looked up expectantly, while Harry kept his attention trained towards his food. He knew the headmaster wouldn't allow him to leave until he had finished eating, so he started to eat more quickly; wishing he didn't have to be there when they came in, and fearing that he would give something away. It was just as he started to drink his soup that several people ran into the room. Snape, McGonagall, Hagrid, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, all stopped short when they saw the young boy sitting next to the headmaster. Hagrid and both Weasleys looked at the child in confusion while Snape just scowled at the boy with his usual sneer firmly kept in place.  
  
Harry ignored them all and finished gulping the soup down. Immediately upon finishing, he felt himself getting drowsy. He tried to get up but his limbs were too tired to obey him. Dumbledore, seeing the trouble the boy was in, gently wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him to his chest.  
  
"Go to sleep, Alec."  
  
Harry just buried his head in the man's shoulder without hesitation and fell asleep.  
  
Once Dumbledore was sure the boy was sleeping, he turned towards his silent visitors. "Hagrid, could you please pick him up and put him in the bed back in the room behind me?"  
  
The half giant nodded and approached them silently. "Of course, sir."  
  
He gently gathered the boy in his arms and disappeared into the room. Dumbledore turned his attention to the people gathered in his office, his face grim and his eyes serious. "Well?"  
  
Everyone turned to him, trying to hold back their questions about the mysterious boy. Minerva was the first one to speak. "Nothing. We haven't found anything. His Aunt and Uncle say that they think he disappeared three days ago, however, they don't know for sure because they kept the boy locked up in his room and they think it could have been longer." Her face was a mask of disgust at the thought of those 'muggles'. "After threatening those muggles, they allowed me to look through the house. Can you believe they made him keep his things in a cupboard? But I didn't find anything, all his things were gone. It seems like he left on his own free will, and I wouldn't really blame him. The room he was in was filthy. His cousin told me they gave him food once a day and let him out of the room for only ten minutes to go to the bathroom, so he wouldn't smell. The small whale was even gloating about it." Her face was starting to get flushed with indignation.  
  
Dumbledore quickly tried to get her mind away from the muggles, promising himself he would pay them a visit personally once things had calmed down. "Could Harry have left on his own?"  
  
Minerva looked sad again. "We don't know; there was no report on him using magic and his wand was locked up in a cupboard. But there's also no signs of struggle and the muggles didn't hear anything."  
  
Mr. Weasley spoke. "He didn't necessarily have to use magic. I think Fred and George taught him how to pick locks the muggle way after they saw him locked up in his room the year they went to pick him up. I don't know for sure, but there are ways to do this without magic."  
  
Everyone nodded, conceding that the man had a good point. Dumbledore looked pensively towards Snape, who hadn't said anything yet. "Does Voldemort know anything about this?"  
  
The Potions Master shook his head. "No, he believes Potter is still in the house; and the plans for the raid tomorrow will go ahead, just as I said earlier."  
  
Dumbledore nodded, somewhat relieved; he'd hoped they would be able to catch some important Death Eaters tomorrow. "What do you think, Severus, did Harry leave on his own?"  
  
The Potions Master looked pensive. "I have not been at the house, so I don't know how bad it really was, but if there's one thing I do know about the boy, it's that he respects your judgement and wouldn't go against your wishes. So, no, unless it was extremely bad, I don't think he would leave. Then again, if it was that bad, there's still the question of whether or not he was in a good enough shape to leave."  
  
Dumbledore grimaced, his sense of guilt returning full force. Severus picked on it and quickly tried to apologise. "I didn't mean to say it was your fault, Albus, I just."  
  
The Headmaster raised his hand. "I know, Severus. However, we both know that it's mostly my fault; I should have checked on him, but there's nothing we can do now besides finding him as quickly as possible." Dumbledore paused for a moment; now he didn't only feel guilty about Harry and the shoddy treatment the boy had received, but also about lying to these people, who trusted him blindly. Sighing slightly, he reminded himself that Harry's safety was the most important thing, and hoped that the others would be able to forgive him when everything came out. Turning towards the Weasleys, he spoke in a tired voice. "What about Ron and Hermione? Do they know anything about this?"  
  
Molly shook her head. "They sent him several letters during the last two weeks, but they didn't receive any answers. They were worried that Harry was not able to reply to them, as it has happened before."  
  
Hagrid, who had returned from the room a while ago, added, "He didn't answer any of my letters either."  
  
Everyone stayed silent for a few moments and then McGonagall spoke. "What should we do now, Albus?"  
  
Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his eyes under the glasses. "The question is more, what can we do. I have written to Sirius and Remus. I expect they will be here by tomorrow evening. Tomorrow, after the raid, we will inform the ministry and question any Death Eaters we capture. If Harry left on his own free will, we'll have to check out the most likely places for him to go; Diagon Alley, the Burrow, Ms. Granger's house, even Hogsmeade and Hogwarts." He paused for a moment and then added, "Does anyone know if he has any muggle friends?" Since he didn't receive an answer, he continued. "If you have the time, you should ask those relatives of his, he may have gone to one of them."  
  
Minerva was frowning. "I'm not sure about that one, Albus. You know Harry hates bringing anyone in danger. To go to a muggle house would be dangerous and Harry knows it."  
  
Snape sneered. "Oh, please, Minerva, the boy doesn't care about safety, his or anyone else's."  
  
The deputy-headmistress glared at him but she didn't have a chance to answer, because Dumbledore spoke sternly to them. "Minerva, Severus, please, we're trying to find a missing child that could be in danger." Both apologised quietly. "And, Minerva, we will simply have to make sure. I know Harry wouldn't put anyone in danger if he could help it, but we have to rule out the possibilities."  
  
The woman nodded and sat back into her chair. Dumbledore looked around. "Does anyone have any more suggestions?" Everyone shook his or her heads. "In that case, there's nothing we can do anymore now but wait."  
  
Everyone nodded and remained quietly in their places. Dumbledore closed his eyes tiredly; he was getting too old for this.  
  
"Albus?"  
  
He opened his eyes and looked at Minerva. "Yes?"  
  
"Are you feeling well? You look a bit pale."  
  
"I'm fine, Minerva, just a bit tired. Nothing to worry about."  
  
The deputy-headmistress looked towards the closed door that led to Harry's room and sighed softly. "I'm sorry, Albus."  
  
The Headmaster looked at her in confusion. "Why?"  
  
Minerva returned her attention back towards the older man. "We are dumping all this on you, and you already have a child to take care of."  
  
Albus blinked, a bit taken aback by her words. "Minerva, it's ok. Alec sleeps most of the time now that he is ill, so he isn't much trouble."  
  
Minerva nodded, still very unsure, and stood up. "Since there's nothing else we can do tonight, we're going to leave you to rest, it's late."  
  
Everyone nodded and stood up, wished him goodnight, then left. Dumbledore sighed and relaxed against his chair, genuinely happy that they had finally gone. Standing up, he went to Harry's room to make sure the boy was still sleeping peacefully and then went to his room to catch a few hours of sleep after asking Twinkle to keep an eye on Harry.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews, and thanks to my wonderful betas, Tanya and Vinnie.  
  
To AnNa M'alegro de veure que hi ha un altre català per aquí, i m'alegro de que t'agradi el meu fic. Si ets de Tarragona, vivim molt aprop, ja que jo soc de Reus, casualitat, oi? ^.^  
  
To Khari: Bueno, si vols la historia es teva, clar k primer hauras d'acabar perills en el passat i en cara et falta una mica. Per cert, m'han encantat els dos últims capítols que has publicat, la gent es posara feta una fera si no publiques aviat ^^ Ben fet. 


	11. Godfather

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
Harry woke up abruptly the next day to the sound of shouting coming from the headmaster's office. He had no idea how late it was; the heavy curtains in front of the windows didn't allow any of the light outside to come in so he couldn't guess either.  
  
Groggily, he switched on the small light that stood at his side and looked at the clock hanging on the wall next to him. Six o'clock. Harry groaned softly and sank back into the pillows; he hated waking up so early, especially by shouts. It always reminded him of his aunt, who liked to shout him awake. Listening closely, he realized that the voices talking were somewhat familiar, and after a moment, he recognized the voices and groaned again. It seemed his godfather had arrived.  
  
"I don't care, Remus. My godson's missing, and I want to talk to Dumbledore, NOW!"  
  
The much calmer voice of his former professor answered. "Be reasonable, Padfoot. I'm sure the headmaster has been doing all he could to find Harry; besides knowing Albus, he won't have gone to bed until everything possible was done, even if it meant going to sleep at three o'clock in the morning. It's six o'clock right now, and the man needs his rest."  
  
While his godfather and friend continued their argument, Harry got up, still a bit unsteady on his feet. He looked into a mirror to make sure his scar was not visible, but just in case he put some make-up. He touched the necklace, reassuring himself that he was still wearing it and flattened his hair as much as possible. After making sure everything was in place, he slowly walked towards the door. Before opening it, he couldn't help but stop abruptly. What if Remus smelled his scent? Turning back into the room, he looked around to find something he could use to mask it. Finding nothing, he sank back into the bed. What could he do? Dumbledore didn't want anyone to know and he was sure that that included Sirius and Remus. Harry thought for a few moments, until he realised that there was something wrong. Remus' scent was very sharp, if he had been able to smell him, he would have been in this room before he could even wake up. Frowning, Harry realised that either the necklace protected him from that too, or the werewolf had taken matters into his own hands and spelled himself so he wouldn't smell everything. Which actually would make sense, the poor man would go insane if he had to smell everything. Reassured that he wasn't about to be discovered, Harry stood up again, walked towards the door and stopped again. Would Sirius turn into a dog if he suddenly appeared? He hopped he wouldn't that could bring trouble. On the other hand, Dumbledore had probably done something to prevent the other man to find out their secret. The old man was too careful to forget something like that. He would have to ask the next time he saw him. For now, Harry decided he would go in carefully, trying to not startle his godfather much, he needed to know what was going on and he longed to see the other man, even if he wouldn't be able to talk to him. Having come to that decision, he finally opened the door, just in time to see McGonagall enter the office just as Sirius started to shout again. Harry had to hide a smirk when he saw the furious look in the woman's eyes.  
  
"Sirius!" Her voice, although sharp, was still kept to a whisper, although it still made Sirius close his mouth. "Shut up! You're going to wake him up!"  
  
Remus sighed and sank into a chair. "I think that's what he wants, Minerva."  
  
The woman shook her head and glared at the two friends. "Not Albus, you dolts, his grand."  
  
She hadn't even finished her words when she noticed the boy standing at the door. Keeping in mind that he was supposed to act shy, Harry stepped back, trying to lose himself in the room's darkness but so he could still see what was going on in the office. Minerva noticed this, and with a gentle smile, came a bit closer to him. "Hello, Alexander, I'm a friend of your grandfather. We met yesterday; do you remember?"  
  
Harry nodded his head slightly and looked curiously towards the two men still standing behind Minerva. Sirius was looking kind of panicked, probably waiting for the child to recognize his face and start screaming, while Remus was glaring at his friend, obviously annoyed that he had not been more careful. Minerva ignored them and spoke again. "These 'gentlemen' standing behind me are also some friends. The dark-haired man is Sirius and the other one is Remus. They would like to speak with your grandfather. Do you know where he is?"  
  
Harry had to stifle a laugh when he saw the expression on both Marauders' face change from scared to stunned in a second. Instead, he looked at the deputy-headmistress and shook his head slightly. He guessed Dumbledore was still sleeping; it was, after all, six o'clock in the morning.  
  
Before McGonagall had the chance to ask him anything else, Twinkle appeared in the office with a soft pop. The house-elf looked around in confusion, probably wondering what everyone was doing there. Then her gaze fell on Harry and she hurried past McGonagall to go stand in front of him.  
  
"Master Alexander! Master Alexander! What are you doing awake and out of bed? Master Dumbledore told Twinkle to make sure that Young Master rested and would not be disturbed. Young Master needs to sleep more!"  
  
While she spoke, the small elf took his hand and started to pull him inside the bedroom. The three adults looked a bit amused and followed them. Harry, seeing he couldn't make the elf change her mind, obeyed and lay down in bed, curling up under the blankets. When Twinkle was sure that her master was once again relaxed in bed, she took a step back and looked towards him questioningly. "Does Young Master want some breakfast?"  
  
Harry shook his head and spoke softly. "No, thank you, Twinkle, I'm not hungry." Then he looked towards his teachers and godfather, who had stayed at the door. "Granddad's friends may want something to eat, though."  
  
Twinkle nodded and walked towards them, pushing them out the room. Once he was alone, Harry sat up in the bed. He really was not sleepy anymore; seeing his godfather in such a state had been enough to fully wake him. On the other hand, he couldn't leave the room; Twinkle would see him for sure and maybe even tell Dumbledore. The old headmaster would not be happy if he found out. His gaze fell on a small library, standing opposite of his bed and he stood up and went to look at it. It was full of muggle books, which suited him fine since he really was not in the mood to read any schoolbooks. He picked one up and returned to his bed. At least he wouldn't be bored anymore.  
  
Back in Dumbledore's office, Twinkle had brought the adults some breakfast and then had left. McGonagall had then started to explain all she knew about what had happened, plus what little she knew about Dumbledore's new grandson. They spoke softly, trying to not bother the boy, since they thought he was asleep.  
  
About an hour later, Dumbledore joined them in his office. He looked completely exhausted. He hadn't been able to sleep well because of his worries that someone might find out. Sirius, seeing how pale his mentor was, immediately felt sorry for having been angry with the man. He really should have known that Dumbledore would do anything he could to find Harry. The old man looked worriedly towards the door that led to Harry's room, but instead of going to check on the boy, he walked towards his desk and sat down in his chair.  
  
"Well, do you have anything new about Harry?"  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. Thanks for my betas, Tanya and Vinnie. 


	12. Argument with Minerva

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
Minerva frowned at the headmaster's words; she was feeling bad that Dumbledore would suppress his duties towards his grandson just because Harry had disappeared and everyone expected him to find the boy. "Albus."  
  
As usual, the headmaster seemed to sense what she was thinking. "Minerva, please answer me."  
  
The woman hesitated. "But Alexander."  
  
The old man gave her a hard look. "Alec is not missing."  
  
The deputy-headmistress frowned at him. "No, you're right, he's not, but Alec is sick and he is your grandson. He needs you!" She paused for a moment and then continued. "Why are you putting one of your students, no matter who he is, above your own grandson?"  
  
Dumbledore sighed softly. "Because Harry might be in danger."  
  
The woman shook her head. "That's not all, it can't be. The whole wizarding world is also looking for him, why do you need to get involved?"  
  
Dumbledore laughed a somewhat bitter laugh. "And what do you expect me to do, Minerva? Fame comes with a price; I'm the Headmaster of Hogwarts, it's expected of me to make sure my students, especially Harry, are safe. Now, please, answer me and let's get this over with. Do you know anything about Harry?"  
  
The other two men had been listening with growing horror at the exchange. It seemed so natural to depend on Dumbledore when something went wrong. No one had ever thought about what doing so much work might mean for the old man, how many sacrifices he had to do, how much his name had cost him. They had never bothered to find out about the man's family; they had always assumed he had no one since he always stayed at Hogwarts. They were suddenly feeling very selfish and with a determined look, they decided to help the old headmaster as much as they could so it would not continue happening. Dumbledore deserved a bit of peace.  
  
On the other hand, the Headmaster was reading their faces well enough to guess what they were thinking about. It made him feel uncomfortable. He was right now directly lying to them, and they believed him blindly. That was one of the reasons he hadn't wanted to go check on Harry before talking to them, he had to make them see he was doing a real effort to find the missing boy. He wished they would finally answer him and that he could leave the office, it was starting to get oppressing.  
  
Finally, Minerva, seeing Dumbledore was growing impatient, decided to stop arguing with the stubborn man and started to speak again. "There's nothing new on Harry, Albus. Until we can get the Ministry to help us, there's not much we can do to find him. The raid for this evening is ready. Severus says that Voldemort doesn't know anything; he doesn't expect anything to go wrong, but Severus says he will stay close to him in case Harry suddenly appears and he will help the aurors should anything go wrong."  
  
Dumbledore frowned. "If he's still in the castle when you return, tell him to not risk himself unnecessarily." Minerva nodded and he continued. "What has been done about the Dursley?"  
  
Minerva pursed her lips. "They are at Hogwarts right now. Hagrid went to get them this morning. Aurors have taken their places, and as soon as everything comes out, we're going to get them to the ministry. They will then decide what to do about that family."  
  
Dumbledore couldn't help but smile slightly at the tone she used. Minerva had always been very overprotective of Harry, maybe he should tell her the truth. The he shook his head slightly. No, the more people who knew about it, the more likely it were to come out. With a small sigh, he turned towards Sirius and Remus, who hadn't said a word since he had entered his office. "I trust Minerva has informed you about everything that has been going on. Do you know anything else about Harry? Has he told you anything?"  
  
Sirius shook his head slightly, a sad look on his face. "He didn't answer our letters, but we were fairly far away and we moved every few days; it would have taken Hedwig some time to track us down so we weren't getting worried yet." The marauder paused for a moment and then spoke again. "Are you sure Voldemort doesn't have him?"  
  
Dumbledore nodded, "I'm fairly sure, he would have let us know by now if he did."  
  
Sirius lowered his head and put it in his hands. Remus placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and looked at the old man. "What should we do now?"  
  
Dumbledore leaned back into his chair. "I'm not sure, Remus. As we were saying yesterday, it seems as if Harry left on his own accord. Minerva said it was bad at the muggles', but it seems to be out of character. Harry has never run from his troubles before."  
  
The man frowned. "Maybe someone else has kidnapped him?"  
  
Dumbledore had to fight to keep his features neutral; that statement was too close to the truth. "There was no evidence of it, and I don't think anyone may have any reason to kidnap him." He paused for a moment and then spoke again. "I don't like this."  
  
They all stayed silent for a few moments, then Dumbledore stood up; it was time to break up this meeting. "Since there's nothing else to talk about." He looked towards the closed door, knowing that his companions would understand. "Call me if anything new comes up, Minerva, and I want a full report from one of the aurors when the raid is done. Sirius, Remus, feel free to stay here for a while, I'll tell you what I need you to do once we know how things have gone this evening."  
  
Without waiting for an answer from his three friends, Dumbledore walked to the door and went into the room to finally check on his "grandson".  
  
It took him a moment to grow used to the darkness in the room, but when his eyes adjusted to the low lighting, he saw Harry leaning against the wall behind his bed, his eyes closed and a book on his lap. It seemed the boy had fallen asleep while reading. The headmaster picked up the book and marked the page before putting it on the night table. Then he carefully moved Harry so he was lying comfortably. Unfortunately, the movement made Harry wake up with a start and he looked up, startled at his headmaster.  
  
"Granddad! I didn't hear you come in."  
  
Dumbledore chuckled slightly. "I'm sorry I woke you up, but I thought you might get uncomfortable sleeping that way."  
  
Harry looked confused for a minute and then blushed slightly. "It's ok, I didn't mean to fall asleep again."  
  
Dumbledore sat down next to him on the bed and tapped his forehead with his wand to take his temperature. He was happy to see it had gone down again to nearly normal, even though the boy hadn't had a fever reducing potion in a while. He sat back and looked him over carefully. His face was not as pale anymore and the dark shadows under his eyes had lessened thanks to the few nights of peaceful sleep.Yet, he was still too thin, looking as if he would break if you handled him too rough.  
  
Brushing a bit of hair out of his face, the headmaster smiled gently down at the boy. "Have you had breakfast, Alec?"  
  
The boy shook his head slightly. "No, Granddad."  
  
Dumbledore nodded lightly. "Very well, how about we go to the living room? You can lay down on the couch and Twinkle will be able to clean up this room."  
  
Harry's face brightened; he was starting to grow a bit tired of the small room, even if it was pretty comfortable compared to his old room at the Dursley. He would have preferred if there was more light, yet, the curtains had been charmed so they would stay closed so not to disturb him. The boy stood up quickly, and Dumbledore had to move quickly to steady him when a dizzy spell hit him.  
  
"Take it easy, Child, you're still not well."  
  
Harry smiled a bit embarrassed at the old man. "Sorry, Granddad."  
  
Dumbledore made him sit back on the bed and picked out some clothes from one of the bags they had left there the day before. He gave Harry the clothes and told him to get dressed while he went back into his office and ordered some food.  
  
Half an hour later, the thin boy returned to the office and saw Dumbledore staring pensively out of a window. "Granddad? Is there something wrong?"  
  
The man turned around and looked at him. The boy was dressed in casual blue jeans and a red t-shirt with a golden snitch on it. Dumbledore smiled slightly at him. "Don't worry about it, Alec, everything's fine."  
  
Harry opened his mouth to reply, but Dumbledore had already moved to his side and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Come on, it's time to have breakfast."  
  
Harry sighed slightly and nodded, allowing the man to lead him out of the office. Once they reached the living room, Harry was surprised to see Remus sitting on the couch, peacefully reading a book. With a glance to Dumbledore, he remembered he was supposed to act shy and quickly stepped behind him, clutching his arm tightly and pecking around him from time to time, to observe the other man, who had not noticed them yet.  
  
Dumbledore couldn't help but chuckle when he felt Harry press himself against his back; acting like this, the boy looked adorable and he had to fight down all the protective instincts that were rising within him. The small sound didn't go unnoticed by the younger man. Looking up from his book, Remus saw Dumbledore standing at the door, and he had to wonder why the man was not coming in. Then he noticed that there seemed to be someone standing behind the old headmaster. Dumbledore walked inside and drew the boy from behind him, allowing him to press against his side.  
  
"Remus, I don't think you've met my grandson, Alec. Don't mind him, he's a bit shy."  
  
Remus couldn't help but think that that was an understatement, but he smiled slightly. "Actually, I met him this morning; I'm afraid Sirius woke him up this morning with his shouts, and he came to check what was going on."  
  
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes and looked sternly down at Harry. "What did I say about wandering around?"  
  
Harry bowed his head and tried to hide behind the headmaster again, but the firm arm on his shoulder kept him in place. "Sorry, Granddad, but they were making so much noise."  
  
Remus, seeing he had put the boy in trouble, frowned a bit and quickly spoke. "It's not the boy's fault, Albus, you know how loud Sirius can get. Besides, he only stayed for a moment and offered us breakfast."  
  
Dumbledore still didn't look very happy, but he gently led the child towards the table, where a small breakfast had appeared. As soon as they were seated, Remus joined them and started to talk with Dumbledore about the modifications that the aurors were doing on Hogwarts, trying to keep his attention away from the small boy. He knew very well how it felt when the Headmaster was not happy with you.  
  
Once they had finished, Dumbledore made Harry lay down on the couch with the book he had been reading, and continued his discussion with Remus.  
  
About an hour later, Dumbledore looked up from the papers he had been revising with Remus, only to see that Harry had fallen asleep on the couch. He stood up and gently removed the book from the boy's slack hands and, summoning a blanket, he tucked the small boy in. Remus, who had remained sitting in his chair at the table, looked at the old man with curiosity. He had never seen Dumbledore be so careful and gentle with anyone. Sure, the old man was always kind and had a smile for everyone, but this was different in ways he couldn't really explain.  
  
Dumbledore returned to the table with a small smile on his lips, and not noticing Remus' curious look, returned to the papers. Some time later, Sirius joined them; he had taken a shower and changed his robes. He quietly joined the other two men, a deep, worried frown on his face.  
  
They were snapped out of their work when Twinkle appeared and announced that lunch was ready. Sirius and Remus moved to clear the table, while Dumbledore walked to the couch. It was a real pity to have to wake Harry up since, for once, he was having a peaceful sleep without the aid of a potion, but the boy really needed to eat.  
  
Sitting down next to him, Dumbledore placed a gentle hand on the boy's thin shoulder. "Alec." Harry stirred but didn't wake up. A bit more forcefully, the old man shook his charge lightly. "Alec."  
  
The small boy blinked and looked up with half closed eyes. "Head."  
  
The hand on his shoulder tightened, and Harry noticed Sirius and Remus talking quietly at one side of the room. Shrugging the hand off his shoulder, he sat up and looked at Dumbledore questioningly. "Yes, Granddad?"  
  
The old man looked at him carefully, making sure the scar wasn't showing, and then smiled at the boy. "It's time to eat lunch, Alec."  
  
The boy groaned lightly, but knowing there was no sense in arguing, he stood up from the comfortable couch and followed Dumbledore towards the table, where Sirius and Remus were already sitting. Both Marauders smiled at him, even if he could see that they didn't know how to treat him.  
  
For his part, he just kept quiet, knowing that it was for the best, so he wouldn't make any mistakes. Dumbledore easily drew the attention of both men again, so that they wouldn't look at him too much; the only way Harry knew that the old man hadn't forgotten his presence was by the looks his grandfather threw him from time to time, urging him to eat.  
  
They were eating their desert when Harry started to shift uncomfortable. His head had started to hurt lightly, and he really hoped his fever was not going up again, he really didn't want to spend any more time in bed. But then, by the end of lunch, he knew that something was wrong. His headache was slowly getting worse, and suddenly, he understood. It wasn't his head that was hurting, it was his scar. And if his scar had started to hurt, he knew it would only get worse before it got better. He needed to get out of there. Sirius and Remus couldn't see him touching his head in pain; it would be a bit too obvious.  
  
But what could he do? Dumbledore wouldn't allow him to just leave the room by himself; the man was overprotective. That meant he had to run for it, but he needed to have a valid reason.  
  
Then he remembered the first time he had been there, how sick he had been. Before giving it a second thought, Harry suddenly jumped from his seat and dashed out of the room and into the bathroom Dumbledore had let him use so far. He heard his grandfather call after him, but the pain in his head was getting worse by the minute, and he needed to reach the room before their plan was ruined.  
  
He made it just in time to close the door with a bang, and collapse on the floor trembling in pain; he hoped that Dumbledore would get rid of Sirius and Remus before entering to check on him.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. Thanks for my beta-reader, Vinnie. 


	13. Consequences of the raid

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
Dumbledore was frantic by the time he reached the bathroom's door. He had no clue what was going on with the boy since it had looked like he was doing better. Sirius and Remus arrived just a few seconds after him, and Dumbledore couldn't help but wish he hadn't invited them to stay; he couldn't check on Harry properly with the two of them breathing down his neck. Out of breath, Dumbledore tried to open the door, only to find it locked. Letting his worry overtake him, he banged loudly on the door while Sirius and Remus shared a concerned frown. "Alec! Alec! Open the door."  
  
There came no answer from inside; actually, he couldn't hear any sound coming from the room. Frowning, he turned to the other two men; he had to get rid of them before entering, only Merlin knew what shape Harry could be in. "Sirius, please go to the small room next to my office and get the bed ready, also pick up some pyjamas from one of the bags there. Remus, go." Dumbledore sighed in frustration. "Go do whatever you want, but just leave for a while."  
  
Both men looked at him incredulously, and he sighed again, trying to come up with a decent explanation. "Look, Alec is already difficult enough to handle when he isn't feeling well; he just doesn't want to tell people what's wrong with him because he doesn't want to be a bother to them. Now, I need to know what's wrong with him, and the two of you being there is not going to help him to relax, so, please, leave us for a moment."  
  
Both men nodded in understanding, even if Remus didn't seem to be totally convinced, and they left to get Alec's room ready. Once Dumbledore was sure they were far enough away, he turned to the door and placing his wand against it and muttered: 'Alohomora'.  
  
The door swung open silently, and Dumbledore quickly entered, closing it behind him. His heart leaped when he saw Harry collapsed on the ground. He rushed to the boy's side and sank down on his knees next to him. "Alec." He gently put a hand against the boy's flushed face. Tired blue eyes opened and looked up at him. The boy tried to smile a bit when he recognized the headmaster's familiar form. "Voldemort was not feeling very happy, I couldn't let Sirius and Remus find out."  
  
Dumbledore understood at once what the boy had intended to do. Having rushed into a bathroom, they would be able to tell the other two men that Harry had been sick. Since they knew that Alec was ill, they wouldn't question it. Dumbledore stood up and conjured a washcloth; after holding it under the water for a few seconds, he returned at Harry's side and started to wash the sweat off his face.  
  
"Better now?"  
  
Harry blinked up at him. "It's only a dull ache now."  
  
The boy tried to sit up, but all his muscles cramped and he couldn't help but groan in pain. The old headmaster quickly placed a hand on his shoulder and made him stay on the floor. Quietly brushing the make-up away, he looked intently at the famous scar but couldn't find anything wrong with it. Taking out the tube of make-up he carried with him, he gently reapplied it to the scar until it was once again safely hidden. Looking once again at Harry, he saw that the boy had closed his eyes, however, he doubted that he was sleeping.  
  
Suddenly, a soft knock on the door drew his attention. Flushing the toilet, he looked around to make sure everything was in place and then unlocked the door. "Come in."  
  
Sirius hesitantly entered the bathroom. "Albus, Minerva and Moody are here to inform you about the attack."  
  
Dumbledore sighed. Once again he had to leave Harry to go and take care of things. Looking down, he saw that the small boy was looking at him firmly; the residual pain in his eyes was quickly being replaced with determination, his eyes saying: "You have to go, don't worry about me, I'll be fine."  
  
Once again Harry tried to sit up, but Dumbledore restrained him. Nodding slightly, he turned to the other man, who had been observing them from the door. "Sirius, please, can you carry Alec up to his room?"  
  
Seeing that Sirius nodded, Dumbledore patted Harry's head and stood up, quickly leaving the room to go up to his office. When he walked past Sirius, the younger man easily saw the resigned look in the headmaster's eyes, and then turning to the boy, who was still lying motionless on the ground, he saw the same look in the blue eyes, but this time, it was accompanied by understanding. It seemed the child was used to this. He knelt down next to the young child and smiled slightly at him. "Hey there, how are you feeling?"  
  
Harry looked at him tiredly; not really knowing how to act around his godfather, he simply closed his eyes, trying to rest before he had to get up and go to his room. Sirius, seeing that he wasn't going to get an answer out of the sick child, gently wrapped his arms under him and carefully lifted him up until he was resting against the man's chest. Harry tensed a bit, but didn't open his eyes, he simply leaned against the broad chest, too tired to really care that Sirius was supposed to be a stranger.  
  
Luckily for him, Sirius didn't think much about it. After all, to him, he was just carrying a sick child, and it was normal that the boy would look for comfort since Albus couldn't be there.  
  
When Dumbledore arrived at his office, he was once again looking neutrally, even if his eyes were not twinkling. He greeted his two friends and sat behind his desk. Without prompting, Alastor began to explain what had happened during the Death-Eater attack at Privet Drive. Even if Voldemort himself hadn't been there, a fair share of his inner circle had been leading the attack. They had been easily caught by the aurors, and only a few had managed to flee. Halfway through his explanation, Sirius came in carrying Harry's limp form in his arms. The headmaster completely ignored them, trying with all his might to concentrate on what Alastor was telling him so he would be able to make the right decisions. Professor McGonagall looked at the small boy and then directly at Dumbledore. If she hadn't seen them interact the day before, she would have thought that the headmaster could care less about his grandson. It took them two hours to have everything arranged. After Dumbledore promised the auror he'd go to the Ministry as soon as he could, they parted ways. Once Moody was out of the door, the headmaster shot out of his chair and swiftly walked towards the closed door, not even noticing that the other professor had opened her mouth to ask him what was going on with Alec.  
  
When they entered, they saw Sirius and Remus standing in one of the corners of the room, looking intently at the small figure sitting on the bed. Harry had changed into his pyjamas and sitting on the bed. Dumbledore frowned, wondering why Harry hadn't gone to sleep. He walked up to the bed, motioning for the other adults to leave the room, which they did reluctantly. Sitting down next to the boy, he wrapped a gentle arm around the thin shoulders. "Child, why aren't you sleeping?"  
  
The boy looked up slightly and shrugged. "I can't, Granddad."  
  
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed. He could easily see that the boy was exhausted, yet it would be impossible for him to sleep if he didn't relax; his whole frame was tense, and he was even trembling slightly. Leaning against the pillows, Dumbledore took Harry around the waist and, with more strength than someone his age should have, he lifted the boy into his lap. Harry became even tenser if that was possible, and sat rigidly in his arms while Dumbledore began to rock him slightly and rub his back, trying to get him to relax. Finally, after fifteen minutes, Harry started to relax against his pretended grandfather.  
  
When a voice finally broke the silence, Harry was lying half asleep against the headmaster. The old man looked up when Minerva called him. "Yes, Minerva?"  
  
The witch entered the room and gave him a cup. "Severus is here, he needs to talk to you. He also thought you may need this."  
  
Dumbledore looked in the cup and saw the familiar sleeping potion. He didn't know if he should be happy with it or annoyed, but nevertheless, he gave it to Harry. The child needed a peaceful rest, and with everyone else walking around his office, he couldn't risk the boy waking up screaming from the nightmares.  
  
Once he was sure that Alec was completely asleep, he pulled him off his lap and in bed, so he would be able to rest comfortably.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and special thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	14. Awakening with Snape

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
The next time Harry had woken up, he was not alone. Next to him, sitting on a chair, was his potions master, reading the last edition of the Daily Prophet. Harry wondered what the slytherin was doing there, but he didn't dare to disturb him, so he stayed still and silent. Since the man didn't seem to notice that he was awake, he took the time to ponder how he was supposed to act around him. As Harry, it was easy enough; they loathed each other and didn't have a problem in showing it. But now as Alec, he really couldn't justify any instant dislike towards the man or else it would be suspicious. More so, if he could at least be civil to the potions master it would reinforce his disguise since Harry Potter would never get along with Severus Snape. Deciding that it was worth the try, he thought about how to accomplish it since it was a very known fact that children in general irritated him. So, he had to try and not annoy him too much. Harry couldn't help but smirk a bit, it was going to be a challenge; but then again, he would have something to do since he was starting to get bored.  
  
It wasn't till a half hour later when Snape finally looked up from the paper and saw that he was awake. Sneering down at him, the man stood up. "So, sleeping beauty finally awakens. Took you long enough."  
  
Harry regarded him calmly, biting back a sharp reply about the potion being of his own making. They stayed silent; Snape seemed to be a bit unnerved by the boy's lack of reaction. Harry had to hide a small smile, he could understand why the man was surprised; the potions master thought he was around eleven, and he could easily remember how scary that look had been when he was actually eleven. Since the boy wasn't about to rise to his bait, Snape continued, breaking the silence in the room.  
  
"How long have you been awake?"  
  
Knowing that acting shy and not answering would really anger the man, Harry decided that it was in his best interest to answer. "About half an hour, sir."  
  
It was the longest thing he had said to anyone but Dumbledore and Twinkle since he had become Alec, but Snape didn't seem to notice. Instead, the man narrowed his eyes and looked at him sharply.  
  
"Why didn't you warn me? Did you think I would be looking at you every few minutes?"  
  
Harry had to swallow his anger at those words and, as calmly as he could, he answered. "No, sir. I just didn't want to bother you."  
  
Snape sneered again. "How considerate of you." Harry balled a fist and was glad to be under the blankets, this way Snape wouldn't notice his irritation. "Didn't it occur to you that I am here to watch over you? I would like it if you had bothered to tell me when you decide to wake up. I'm not a seer after all."  
  
The thought of Snape sitting in Trelawny's tower gazing into a crystal ball was the only thing that kept Harry from sitting up and shouting to the man to stop his useless ranting. Instead, he kept his calm voice and answered. "That is rather obvious, sir. But why should I bother you if I don't need anything?"  
  
Harry hopped that flippant remark would be enough to shut up the man for a little while. He really was starting to regret his little plan; he should have just kept quiet.  
  
At those words, Snape couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in disbelieve, looking at the child strangely. After all, it was his proven experience that young children always wanted attention, especially young sick kids. Tentatively, he spoke again. "You don't want anything?"  
  
Harry thought for a moment. Snape seemed to have calmed down a bit, was it safe to ask him for something? After all, he could not spend the whole day in bed doing nothing; it would be really boring. Taking his chance, his soft voice rang through the room. "Well." Snape grimaced; he knew he shouldn't have asked. "Could you please give me that book that's lying on the table? This way, you will be able to return to your paper and I'll leave you alone."  
  
The Potion's master regarded him once again, a surprised frown on his face. Silently, he picked up the book and gave it to the small child lying in the bed. When he handed the book to Alexander, the boy smiled slightly. "Thank you."  
  
For half an hour they read in silence. From time to time, Harry could feel the man's dark look on him, but he decided to ignore it. There was no sense in risking a confrontation now that things seemed to be going well.  
  
On the other hand, Snape was trying to figure the boy out, but he was having trouble. The only thing he could say was that he was not a normal eleven year old boy; of course, being related to the headmaster ensured that the views what was normal were a bit different. Shaking his head slightly, as to not draw the child's attention, he returned to his previous thoughts. The small boy had not reacted to his taunts and usual nastiness like his first years usually did. He didn't seem afraid of him, he hadn't asked for anything annoying, and, the most shocking fact, he hadn't asked questions about why a nearly complete stranger was sitting next to his bed, watching over him after he had been sick.  
  
Finally, not coming up with any plausible explanation of the boy's behaviour, Snape decided that he needed to know more. Putting down the paper he hadn't read since the boy had woken up, he sighed and leaned against his chair. "Alexander?"  
  
Harry, who had been very much aware of the black eyes looking at him, suppressed a relieved sigh when the man's voice cut through the tension filling his body. As calmly as he could, he looked up from the book, and in a soft, neutral voice, he answered. "Yes, sir?"  
  
Snape looked at him intently before uttering the next words. "Aren't you wondering why I'm here?"  
  
The boy cocked his head to one side; that was a stupid question, at least to him the answer seemed obvious. "Granddad asked you to be here."  
  
Severus blinked at the simple explanation. "Correct. How did you guess?"  
  
Alec shrugged slightly; he couldn't believe he was managing to hold a civil conversation with the man. "That was easy, sir. You're one of Granddad's friends, and you don't seem to like me much, so the only reason for you to be here is if my Granddad asked you."  
  
Well, the boy was surprisingly bright. Of course, being related to Dumbledore, he couldn't expect any less. He had given a simple explanation, completely logical in the child's mind. Not many adults would have agreed with the child; they would either have said that Severus wanted the opportunity to be alone with Dumbledore's grandson so he could harm him, or that he wanted to get into the old man's good graces by taking care of the ill child. No one would simply accepted that Dumbledore had asked him to stay here and that he had agreed because it was Dumbledore who had asked.  
  
On the other hand, the part about not liking the kid, well, it wasn't personal; he just doesn't like kids in general. But this one didn't seem to be so bad, not that he would ever acknowledge it in front of anyone, but at least the boy wasn't getting on his nerves as almost everyone did.  
  
Wanting to see how much the boy trusted him, he told the child another thing that he hadn't wanted to think about.  
  
"Your grandfather told me to tell you that he will be back by tomorrow night. Until then, I will be responsible for you."  
  
Harry took his time before looking up from the book, trying to keep his face impassive. He knew what the potions master was trying, but he wasn't going to take the bait, even if he was starting to panic inside; he wouldn't allow the man the pleasure of seeing him lose it. After all, he couldn't be worse than the Dursley. When he finally answered, his voice continued to be as childlike and calm as before. "You don't need to stay at my bedside the whole time, I'll call Twinkle if I start to feel unwell."  
  
Snape sighed, another frustrated answer; he had expected the boy to start whining about his grandfather not being there, but it seemed he was used to it. By now, his curiosity was getting the better of him and he couldn't help to question the child further. "Doesn't it bother you?"  
  
Alec looked at him intently, with the same bright blue eyes as the Headmaster's. "What doesn't bother me? That Granddad is away or that he left me with you?"  
  
Snape raised his own eyebrow; the boy seemed to be very intuitive. "Both."  
  
Harry relaxed against his pillows, trying to find the right words to express what he was thinking without that the other man became too suspicious. "Granddad is a busy man, he has always lots of things to do to help other people; that's more important than staying with me. Besides, I can take care of myself." Snape doubted that, it had to bother the boy that his relative put his work above his welfare, but choose not to comment since Alec wasn't finished with his explanation. "As for you being here, no, it doesn't bother me." At least, not in the sense of feeling in danger. He knew very well that the man was nasty, mean, and had a temper, but he also knew that he would be well protected. So, with a small smile he added, "Granddad is overprotective, he wouldn't have left me alone with you if he thought you might put me in danger."  
  
Snape growled at the child. Who did he think he was? A baby-sitter? It was about time he scared the boy a bit; he was far too trusting. In a deadly voice he usually used for Gryffindors, he spoke again. "Maybe I fooled your grandfather in trusting me and I'm planning on killing you."  
  
Harry couldn't help but shudder a bit; he had questioned Snape a lot of times in his mind, but right now wasn't the time to doubt him. He had to trust Dumbledore in this matter, and he would. Looking at the man unblinking, he spoke softly. "I've been asleep for some time, if you had wanted to harm me you would have already done so."  
  
Snape's scowl deepened. "Maybe I wanted you to be awake so I would enjoy hearing you scream in fear."  
  
Harry frowned deeply; this was going too far, he had to stop the man before he became even more uncomfortable and cursed him just to be sure he wouldn't be hurt. In a dry voice, trying to match the man's sarcasm, Alec started his own little game. "And for all you know, I could be a mentally unbalanced kid, that has murderous tendencies every once in a while." He saw Snape close his mouth abruptly, eyes slightly wide. He obviously hadn't been expecting such an answer. He could see his professor considering what the he had told him; after all, Snape knew nearly nothing about him. Not wanting the situation to get out of hand, Harry spoke again. "Look, you don't know anything about me, I don't know anything about you, but we're both trusting the same man on the fact that we will both be alive when he returns tomorrow. He could be wrong about either of us, but I'm willing to take the risk."  
  
Without another word, the child returned his attention to the book, and Snape abruptly stood up and left the room.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews, thanks to my beta-reader, Vinnie. 


	15. Chess

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of lies:  
  
Once Harry was sure that Snape was not lingering in Dumbledore's office, he stood up and walked towards the mirror, making sure that his make-up was still in place since it was the most important part of his disguise. Luckily, it was ok; Dumbledore had probably taken care of it earlier. Carefully, Harry added a bit more, just to be on the safe side, and then returned to the bed and to his book, knowing that Snape would be annoyed if he saw him wandering around. Not to mention that the headmaster wouldn't be happy either once Snape told him, Harry was starting to discover how over- protective the old man could be.  
  
Some time later, Snape came back in to the small room with a tray in his hands, Harry couldn't help but be surprised that the man had come himself instead of making Twinkle go. The tray was filled with the usual chicken and soup, for which Harry was grateful. He was hungrier than some days before, but he didn't think he would be able to eat much.  
  
Harry put the book aside and took the tray from Snape's hands without a word. The man looked at him carefully before breaking the silence. "Will this be enough for you? The house-elf didn't want to give me more food for you."  
  
Harry had to work hard to hide his surprise. Was that concern he could hear in the other man's voice? It couldn't be, but looking up at his professor, he saw that the man looked indeed slightly worried. Harry watched in fascination as the worry started to change into annoyance, and quickly answered.  
  
"It's more than enough, sir. I have not been feeling well lately and I'm not really that hungry."  
  
Snape nodded sharply before adding, "There's also a sleeping potion in the soup."  
  
Harry merely nodded before starting to eat. Snape watched him carefully from his seat near the bed, wondering why the boy was forced to sleep with a potion. The first few times Dumbledore had asked him to add a sleeping potion into the youth's soup, he had thought it was a security measure so that the boy wouldn't overhear their meetings. But the fact that Twinkle had insisted that he should put some sleeping potion in the soup now, and the fact that Harry wasn't surprised, and probably even expected it, made him re-evaluate his guess.  
  
Looking up, he saw that the boy had just finished his soup and was trying to place the tray on the side table, his eyes already dropping in sleep. Snape silently helped him, after all he couldn't let the child drop the tray, it would only bring more trouble. Seeing that the boy was too sleepy to properly lie down, the professor helped him and tucked him in as he had seen Pomfrey do it so often. Alec silently mumbled his thanks before falling in a deep sleep.  
  
Snape awoke late the next morning, and as soon as he was awake enough to notice the time, he sprang out of bed, cursing softly. He hadn't meant to sleep for so long, what if Alec had needed him? As soon as that thought had formed in his mind, he stopped dead in his tracks. Why on earth was he so worried about the child? Convincing himself that it was just because Dumbledore would kill him if something happened to the boy, he put his dark robe on and left his room, heading to Dumbledore's office.  
  
When he entered the room, he saw that the boy was already awake, and once again, had a book in his hands. The child looked up when he heard Snape sit down in the seat next to his bed. Snape was a bit surprised to see him smile slightly to him. "Good morning, sir."  
  
Snape nodded and sank into the chair. "Good morning." The boy was now looking at him, and the teacher sat up a bit straighter. "Is something wrong?"  
  
Alec smiled slightly again, he was starting to like this new Snape; who could have guessed that the man could be somewhat close to kind when he wished to. "Nothing's wrong sir, I just would like to take a shower."  
  
Snape's eyes narrowed a bit at those words. "And what am I supposed to do about that? I'm sure you're old enough to take a shower by yourself."  
  
Harry looked at him faintly amused. "Of course I am, but Twinkle forced me to wait until you were awake. For the last few days I have been getting dizzy at odd times, and you wouldn't be able to help me if I fell down and you were asleep." He looked at the man, seeing that he didn't look very happy. Frowning, Harry thought that it may be better to wait till Dumbledore was back. "I think it's better if I waited till Granddad is back."  
  
Snape's head shot up and he shook it sharply. "Don't say nonsense, go take your shower, and I'll make sure breakfast is here when you come out."  
  
Harry looked at him dubiously, but when he saw that the man was once again scowling, started to get out of bed. When he was finally on his feet, he had to pause for a moment so the room wasn't moving around anymore. Snape noticed this and stood up, ready to catch the youth if he were to fall down. But before the professor could say anything, the boy had already gathered his things and slowly walked out of the room towards the bath.  
  
When Harry joined him again in the bedroom, they had some breakfast. After that, Snape returned the tray to the office where Twinkle would easily find it and looked back at the boy, who was once again reading. Frowning, the teacher approached the bed and sat down on the chair. "Not that I don't appreciate the fact that you like to read, but don't you do anything else?"  
  
Harry looked up, a bit surprised that the man was willing to talk to him without being forced to. "There's not much to do when you're forced to stay in bed, and you're on your own, sir."  
  
Snape looked at him for a few moments, but before Harry could turn back to his book, Snape had picked up his wand and conjured up a chessboard. "How about we play a game of chess?"  
  
Harry had to fight down the surprise that he was sure showed upon his face. Looking at the man for a few moments, he finally nodded and closed the book. "If you want to, but I might as well warn you now that I'm not really good at it, so don't expect a challenge."  
  
Snape smiled slightly at the admission. Yes, he definitely liked the kid; he didn't seem to think he was above everyone else just because he was related to Dumbledore. "I could let you win."  
  
Harry raised an eyebrow at him, slightly disbelieving. "But that wouldn't be fun, how else can I learn if you let me win?"  
  
Snape nodded, the small smile still on his lips. "True, well, let's get on with it, let's see if I can teach you a thing or two."  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And thanks to my beta-reader, Vinnie. 


	16. Granddad

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
Sooner than expected, it was evening; Snape had made him take a nap after lunch when he noticed that Harry was growing tired. The man had even been thoughtful enough to put a few drops of sleeping potion in his meal so he would be able to sleep peacefully. When he woke up again, Snape was reading at his side. This time, Harry sat up immediately instead of waiting around until Snape noticed he was awake. The older man looked at him carefully and offered to play another game of chess. This time, his professor even explained some of the moves to him, it seemed the man had decided he had to learn how to play properly.  
  
Dumbledore was dead tired when he arrived at his house around eight that night. He could have stayed at the Ministry and rest until tomorrow, but he had been too anxious about Harry. He hadn't liked the idea of leaving Severus with Harry, but someone had had to stay with the boy, and everyone else had other things to do. He sincerely hoped that nothing bad had happened, and that Harry hadn't blown his cover. He quickly went to his office, put his things on the table and hurried towards the next room. To say he was surprised at what he saw would have been an understatement. Severus Snape and Harry Potter peacefully playing chess; next thing you know, hell would freeze over.  
  
"I see you're getting along just fine without me."  
  
Both players looked up from the game. Snape looked rather embarrassed at having been caught playing chess with a kid. Harry, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind at all and simply smiled up at him, completely comfortable with the unnatural situation.  
  
"Granddad!"  
  
Both Dumbledore and Harry were slightly surprised when the boy raised his arms to him in a childish way, demanding a hug. Harry, not knowing where that instinct had come from, started to blush slightly, and he was already retracting his arms when the old man moved and hugged him tightly to his chest. Dumbledore didn't quite know how to feel; he was scared about what was going on, about the deep feelings he was starting to have for his student. A few days ago, having Harry acting as his grandson seemed to be the best way to keep him safe, but now it was no longer play, he couldn't deny that in the few days he had spent with the boy he had become attached to the lad. It would bring problems in the future, he was sure of that, but there was no way to stop it now. Besides, he just didn't want to stop; he wanted to have someone to care about. Pulling himself out of his thoughts, he looked up at his Potions Master, who had stood up and was looking at them through a blank mask.  
  
Smiling at the man, he shifted slightly, so Alec was leaning against his chest. "Thank you for looking after him, Severus. I trust he behaved himself?"  
  
He had to smile at the sound of protest coming from the child. The younger man also couldn't keep a small smile from his lips. "Alexander behaved fine, Albus, he's a curious boy."  
  
The headmaster raised an eyebrow but decided it was safer to not get into such a discussion, much less with Severus. "I'm glad he didn't cause you any trouble."  
  
The younger man shrugged slightly and then nodded. "I need to go now; I wanted to brew a potion before I go to sleep." Snape reached towards his cloak that was draped on the chair and put it on. He swiftly walked towards the door, and once there turned to look at the pair. With a slightly hesitant voice, he spoke again. "If you ever need my help again, just tell me, Albus."  
  
The headmaster hid his shock rather well, knowing that Severus was not only talking about any potions or missions, but was actually offering to look after Alec if he needed it. Not knowing what to answer to such unexpected words, Albus just nodded, and the man turned to the boy.  
  
"I'll see you around, Alexander."  
  
The boy moved his head from his grandfather's chest and smiled brightly up at him. "Ok, sir, thank you for staying here with me."  
  
Snape simply nodded, and then walked out of the room, closing the door after him.  
  
Once he was sure the younger man had left, Dumbledore turned his gaze to the boy leaning against him. "Should I even ask how you managed to get him to act civil to you, my child?"  
  
Harry shrugged slightly, disentangling himself from the old man's arms and leaning against the headboard. "Nothing, I just tried not to annoy him. It seemed the safest way to get through his stay here. It worked better than I expected."  
  
Dumbledore shook his head slightly; the boy would never cease to amaze him. Noticing that the child was looking at him carefully, he returned his gaze to him. "Something wrong, Alec?"  
  
The boy hesitated for a moment before answering in a soft voice. "You look tired, you should go to bed."  
  
The headmaster couldn't help but chuckle softly; he found it amusing that Harry would speak those words to him, but simply nodded, knowing he was right. After making sure Harry ate his supper and would rest peacefully through the night, the old man went back to his room, decided to get a good night's rest.  
  
To be continued.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	17. Dumbledore's return

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
The following weeks were very stressful. After the attack on Privet Drive, Fudge couldn't deny it anymore. The Dark Lord had returned, and not only that, but they had lost Harry Potter. The whole ministry was in panic, trying to prepare for Voldemort's attacks and trying to find The Boy Who Lived so they could calm the mounting panic within the population. Fudge, once he had been forced to announce the truth, had turned to Dumbledore, and the old man had been forced to help him. He couldn't let the whole organization of the war in Fudge's hands or they would lose for sure. The headmaster and his closest followers took it upon themselves to organize and supervise the raids, the interrogations, the trials, everything. Unfortunately, that meant that no one had much time to themselves, and Dumbledore had been forced to leave Harry alone in his house with only Twinkle as company. For the first week, he went back to sleep there every night, trying to keep an eye on the boy. But as the days progressed, he still came home already at night, but Harry had long gone to sleep and he had to leave again before the boy got up, meaning he didn't get to see him either. In the end, he just accepted a room for him at the ministry.  
  
Once Harry was finally completely healed, he had been allowed by an overprotective Twinkle to move into the room Dumbledore had put the other clothes he had bought him earlier that summer. Not having anything else to do, he started to explore the large manor. Most of the rooms seemed to be unused. The one he liked the most was the library. He would have loved to go outside, but the headmaster had forbidden it, so he found himself spending more and more time in the large library. Since he didn't quite know what to read, he started with his books for the next year; they were interesting enough, especially since he could practice the charms. Twinkle had said that there were wards shielding the magic, and that Dumbledore had given his permission so he could practice a bit. Three days after he had last seen Dumbledore, the nightmares started to come back. Knowing that the old man came to sleep at the manor at night, Harry had started to put up silencing charms around his room, not wanting to disturb the few hours his mentor got to rest. By the time he had read through his fifth year books and moved towards his sixth years, he had given up the pretence of sleeping and practically lived in the library, only coming out when he had to go to the bathroom.  
  
The only good result of the nightmares as far as Harry was concerned was the need to learn they had awakened. He needed to know everything, he needed to be able to match the Dark Lord, for he knew that he would face him some day, and the sooner he was able to kill him, the better. Driven by that knowledge, Harry pushed himself harder everyday, he needed to know. From sixth year he went to seventh, and after that, he had learned everything he found useful in there, he started to read the books in the library. Wards, curses, healing, everything he could learn, he did. He focused special attention in wandless magic, discovering he was quite adept at it. That discovery brought even more reasons for the boy to push himself to the limit. He needed to be able to perform wandless magic flawlessly. Hours upon hours he practiced, going from transfiguration to charms, revising everything he had learned until then. He only slept when he absolutely had to, often falling into restless slumber in the middle of an incantation.  
  
Twinkle watched her young master from afar; she was getting very worried, but she couldn't do anything about it. There was no way for her to contact Dumbledore, and no one else had dropped by. Finally, resigned that there was nothing she could do, she tried to make the best of it. She forced the boy to eat at least once a day, sitting next to him until she was satisfied. She would have put a sleeping draught in his drink but Dumbledore had told her she couldn't because Harry had had too much of it already. She hopped her old master would come back soon, because the young man was slowly but steadily working towards a serious breakdown, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.  
  
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000  
  
Dumbledore was feeling old. The last few weeks had been hectic, and he had barely spent any time at home. Everything had calmed down now, they had managed to put a dent into Voldemort's army, and Dumbledore hoped they would have a few weeks of peace. Harry's disappearance, while still on the minds of everyone, had lost much attention in light of Voldemort's actions, and the search for the boy had diminished. Thinking about the young boy staying in his house made him sigh. He has well aware that he had been neglecting him, even if it wasn't exactly by choice. The child had spent nearly four weeks in his house now, and he had to admit he didn't have any idea about how he was doing. For the thousandth time he berated himself while walking up to the house. Had Harry been bored? Had he been having nightmares? Had he been eating properly? He didn't know, and it bothered him a lot.  
  
When he finally reached his house it was barely seven in the morning. Thinking that Harry would surely be asleep at that hour, the old headmaster made his way towards the kitchen to get some breakfast before heading to bed. Twinkle was already up and about; she seemed to be very happy to see him. He was too tired to notice the relived look the house-elf gave him.  
  
"Master Dumbledore, welcome back!"  
  
Dumbledore smiled tiredly down at her and sat in one of the wooden chairs that surrounded the kitchen's table. "Thank you, Twinkle, it's good to be back."  
  
"Master Dumbledore is going to stay?"  
  
The old man nodded slightly, resting his head in one of his hands. "At least for the next few days, Twinkle."  
  
The elf's smile brightened if it was possible. Her master was back, and he would be able to take care of the young master. "Twinkle's happy, Master. Young Master will also be happy."  
  
She had said that in a softer voice, trying to draw the old man's attention to the boy. Dumbledore seemed completely oblivious to the situation and smiled softly. "How has Alec been?"  
  
Twinkle immediately opened her mouth to start explaining just how bad off the young master was, but she was cut off by the opening of the kitchen's door. Dumbledore looked up; a soft smile on his face, knowing it could only be his young charge. The smile froze in his face when he managed to get a good look at the boy. Alec looked absolutely exhausted; his hair was hanging limply over his dull blue eyes, making his skin look extremely pale. Under his eyes, he had dark shadows, showing he hadn't been getting much sleep. The clothes that had fitted him barely a few weeks ago, now hung limply from his bony shoulders. They were wrinkled as if he hadn't changed them in quite a while.  
  
Showing just how exhausted he was, Harry didn't even notice Dumbledore sitting at the table. The boy just passed him and headed straight to Twinkle.  
  
The house elf looked briefly towards the headmaster's shocked face, before returning her attention to the boy in front of her. "Good morning, Master Alexander."  
  
Harry nodded tiredly. "Good morning, Twinkle." His voice was weary and soft; Dumbledore had to strain his ears to be able to make out what he was saying. "Is the coffee ready?"  
  
Twinkle shook her head slightly. "It's nearly done, Master Alexander, just a few more minutes."  
  
The boy nodded slightly. "Thank you, Twinkle."  
  
By then, Dumbledore had managed to overcome his shock, and he spoke softly, trying not to startle the boy. "Aren't you a bit young to be drinking coffee, Alec?"  
  
Harry turned around sharply, a shocked look on his face. "Dumbl... Granddad! What are you doing here?"  
  
The man frowned. "I live here, Alec."  
  
The boy blushed a bit. "Right, sorry. When did you get here?"  
  
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and stood up. "Just a few minutes ago, things have finally calmed down at the ministry."  
  
Harry nodded half-heartedly. "That's good."  
  
The headmaster immediately picked up on the tone of voice. "Why do I have the feeling you don't mean that?"  
  
Harry fidgeted and bowed his head. "Sorry, sir."  
  
The man sighed; he didn't quite know what to do. "Have you been ill, Alec?"  
  
"No, sir."  
  
Dumbledore repressed his frustration and tried to continue talking in a calm voice. "Then can you please explain to me why you look the way you do?"  
  
Harry had remained silent, seemingly unwilling to trust him anymore as he had a few weeks ago. A small stab of sadness crossed the man's heart; it seemed he had lost the silent friendship and openness he and Harry had shared at the beginning. The boy had completely closed up and seemed unwilling to talk to him. He had thought Harry of all people would understand that he needed to do everything to stop Voldemort, and the boy probably did understand or he would have complained already about having been left alone. That didn't mean that the boy was ready to trust him. He had done so once, and Dumbledore had abandoned him in a big house with only a house elf as company.  
  
They stayed in silence for a while, Dumbledore trying to come up with something to say, and Harry standing silently in front of him refusing to look up. The old man didn't quite know what to say; he needed to try and patch things up with the boy, but he also needed to rest and make sure the boy wouldn't collapse any time soon. Having decided that the most important thing was to get some rest, he moved towards Harry and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, feeling how thin Harry had really got. The boy looked up startled at the sudden contact.  
  
"Sir?"  
  
The old man looked down at him with a soft smile playing on his features. "It's 'Granddad', remember?" Harry nodded slightly but kept his gaze fixed on the old features. Seeing the question in the bright blues eyes, Dumbledore started to push Harry towards the door. "I think we both need to get some rest, and later on we'll have a talk, ok?"  
  
Dumbledore had felt Harry become tense under his arm, but the boy didn't argue with him. He was just too tired right now. The old man led him up the stairs and towards his own room. There he made him put some pyjamas on and tucked him in.  
  
Knowing that the headmaster would stay until he was asleep, Harry evened his breath out and tried to lie as still as possible. It took him ten minutes to convince the man that he had fallen asleep, but he was finally left alone the room. For a moment, the boy debated whether or not he should get up and back to the library, but he was just too tired, he hadn't slept for about two days and his eyes were already falling shut. With a wave of his hand, he placed the silencing charms around the room, and finally allowed sleep to take him.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and special thanks to my beta-reader, Vinnie. 


	18. Death Eaters attack

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
Three hours. That's all it took for Harry to be back at the library. The nightmares had awakened him half an hour ago and the child had spent the next half hour trying to calm himself down. Once his limbs had stopped trembling, he made his way towards the room he had spent most of his days. He sank down in his usual chair and picked up the book on animagi he had been reading the night before. He tried to read but his thoughts kept straying towards Dumbledore. He knew very well that it wasn't the man's fault that he had been busy, he was even grateful that Dumbledore himself was taking charge knowing that Fudge would only get even more people killed. Yet, he was hurt. He had tried to ignore the feeling through the weeks, burying himself in his work, but now that the old man was back, he didn't know what to do. Should he trust him? Surely he had much more important things to do than take care of him. Everything would be better if he just kept to himself. Dumbledore had enough worries as it was. Frowning, Harry looked back towards his book, willing away the feelings and thoughts that plagued his mind.  
  
He had been reading for an hour when a soft pop announced Twinkles arrival. Harry looked up strangely, since the house elf rarely disturbed him while he was in the library. The little being was jumping nervously from one foot to another, peering anxiously out of one of the big windows.  
  
"Twinkle, is something the matter?"  
  
The small elf nodded slightly and pointed outside. "There are strange people outside, Master. Twinkle doesn't want to wake Master Dumbledore up, but Twinkle is afraid of them."  
  
Harry frowned at those words, and without a word, he stood up and went to look through the window. Carefully, he pecked outside and his heart dropped. He would recognize those robes anywhere. Death Eaters. They were standing just outside the protective wards and by the soft light he saw from there, Harry could tell they were starting to disable them. They probably thought Dumbledore was not there, so they were taking their time. Twinkle's anxious voice brought him back. "Young Master?"  
  
Harry looked at her. "Those are Death Eaters, Twinkle, they are trying to get into the house. Granddad has been away for a long time and is really tired, the wards are weaker than usually, and they probably won't take more than an hour to get in."  
  
Twinkle was clearly becoming a bit panicked. "What should Twinkle do, Young Master? Should Twinkle wake up Master Dumbledore?"  
  
Harry frowned. "What would that help? You have seen how tired he is, I doubt he could do much without hurting himself, he needs his rest."  
  
The little elf looked upset. "So does Young Master."  
  
But Harry ignored her, instead he was thinking about what he should do. Waking up Dumbledore was not an option; he didn't know how to warn anyone else, besides he didn't want to put anyone in danger even if he knew how to contact them. One thing was clear: he couldn't let them come in. If they came, he would have to fight them, and even if he were able to hold them of, they would know of his existence and all he could do. No, the best option was to keep them out of the house. He couldn't do anything about the falling wards; they were completely in Dumbledore's hands, and the sole fact that the man hadn't even noticed that there was something wrong showed just how exhausted he was. Looking at one of the old books he had been reading recently, Harry made his mind up. He would have to put up wards of his own. He knew through the book that the ones put up with wandless magic were much more difficult to disable. He had practiced putting up wards around the room, but would he be able to put them around the house? He had to try. Turning to Twinkle, who was still fidgeting at his side, he knelt next to her so he could look her in the eye.  
  
"Twinkle, I'm going to try and keep them out. I want you to stay close to this window. If the Death Eaters reach the front door, it means I've failed, and I want you to take Granddad out of the house, ok?"  
  
The elf obviously wasn't happy about that, but she had learned a long time ago that her young master was very stubborn. Reluctantly, she nodded. "Very well, Master Alexander, but what about you?"  
  
The boy looked surprised at the question, it didn't even occur to him that someone might be worried about his wellbeing. He was the hero, and he was the protector. Blinking, he smiled slightly at her. "I'll be fine, don't worry."  
  
Without another word, he left the room and went downstairs; he didn't have much time left. Relaxing, he stood in the middle of the house and extended his senses. He started to feel his surroundings, all the magic that flew around him. Pushing outside, he felt the bright golden strength of the wards, slowly diminishing. After them were about fifteen dark presences. He was reassured when he felt that there were only two really powerful wizards among them, this way it would take them longer to breech the wards, and he would be able to work in peace. Slowly, he started to build the wards from a few feet under the floor, just as the book had said. The process was very delicate and the minimal mistake could blow up the whole house. Harry had no idea how long he stood there, allowing his magic to flow and his desire to protect mold the wards around them. Just when he was gathering his energy to put the final touch on the wards and seal them, he felt the old wards fade. With lightning fast reflexes, he latched onto the energy that was flowing from the old wards and used it to finish his and put the last charm in place.  
  
The next moment, he collapsed on the floor, completely spent. He had done it; even the modifications he had done to the wards seemed to be stable, the only thing remaining was to see if they worked. Through his exhaustion, he felt the Death Eaters approaching; not even sensing that there was something wrong. The moment they stepped through, Harry felt the wards activate, and felt them freeze in place, unconscious to the world. Chuckling, the boy rolled until he was lying on his back. He had really done it. Knowing that the Death Eaters were not going anywhere, Harry closed his eyes and allowed his tiredness to overcome him.  
  
Sometime later, he was awakened by someone roughly shaking him. The first thing he noticed was that he was still lying on the floor and that his limbs were heavy. As he became more aware of his surroundings, he saw that Twinkle was jumping in excitement at his side.  
  
"Twinkle?"  
  
The elf grinned and hugged him around his neck. "Master Alexander did it!"  
  
Very slowly, the boy sat up, every inch of his body was hurting, and he had a horrible headache. "Please, Twinkle, lower your voice."  
  
The elf frowned and did as he had asked. "Is Master Alexander all right?"  
  
The boy frowned and with her help, he stood up on trembling legs. "I'll be fine."  
  
Nodding, the elf helped him to a chair and disappeared, saying she would get him something to drink. Within a minute, she was back with a large mug. Sighing deeply, Harry started to sip on the coffee, finally relaxing against the chair. He didn't notice Twinkle leave the room, but fifteen minutes later she was back frowning. "Young Master."  
  
Looking up, he nodded slightly to her. "Yes?"  
  
The elf bit her lip. "Professors Snape and McGonagall are here. They wish to speak with Master Dumbledore. Should I wake him?"  
  
Harry groaned and shakily stood up. "No, I'll deal with them myself, if it's really important, we can wake him."  
  
Twinkle nodded and slowly helped him to walk up the stairs towards Dumbledore's office. Once at the door, Harry checked to see that every part of his disguise was in place, and after dismissing the worried elf, he walked into the room.  
  
Both professors looked up when he entered, obviously expecting to see Dumbledore. McGonagall was sitting in a seat while Snape paced the room nervously. The woman was the first to speak. "My God, Child. What's wrong with you?"  
  
Before he could think of something to say, Snape cut in. He was obviously very agitated. "Later, Minerva." Turning to the small boy, he couldn't help but be a little concerned about his appearance, but he had other things to worry about. "Where's Dumbledore, Alexander?"  
  
"Sleeping."  
  
The man stopped pacing and looked at him incredulous. "Sleeping?"  
  
Harry narrowed his eyes. The blue orbs were shinning furiously, all the exhaustions leaving them replaced by anger. "Yes, sleeping. You all might see him like some God that is always there, always ready to help, tireless, powerful, and whatever. But, damn you, unless you have forgotten, he is an old human being, older than you and me put together. He should be somewhere having a restful live; instead, he is here, working day and night, subjected to the needs of people who can't think by themselves and think he is the solution to all their problems. But that's not enough, is it? You cannot even accept he is resting for a few hours, do you? You all want even more of him, it's sick to see grown ups depending so much on him."  
  
Both teachers froze in shock. Not only because the young boy was looking absolutely furious, but also because they had never thought of things that way. The child was right, they always assumed that Dumbledore would have the solution; everyone leaned on him, often not even thinking more than 'Dumbledore will know what to do.' Before any of them could say a word, a sharp voice rang through the room. "Alexander! That was completely out of line, apologise!"  
  
Harry clenched his teeth, he was sure that if he hadn't exhausted his magic by putting the wards around the house, he would have already lost control of it. Knowing he was right with what he had said, no matter what the old man thought, he turned to him and shook his head. "No, I won't."  
  
He saw Dumbledore's eyes narrowing in anger, the usually twinkling blue eyes burning into his. "Go to your room."  
  
For a moment, it seemed Harry was going to say something else, but in the end, the boy thought better of it and left the room, slamming the door shut after him.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta-reader, Vinnie. 


	19. The mystery of the wards

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of lies.  
  
In the office, Dumbledore was trying to calm down. It had been a long time since he had been that angry with someone; he couldn't believe Alec had dared to say all that. In a far corner of his mind, he admitted that the boy had been right; still that didn't give him the right to talk to his professors the way he had. Turning towards the two silent teachers, he tried to smile a bit. "I apologise, I don't know what got into him."  
  
Minerva looked at him disbelieving, could it really be that the man that dealt with students every day, couldn't figure out his own grandson? In a careful, soft voice, she tried to make him see what the child must have been feeling. "But Albus, that's obvious." Looking at his surprised face, she tried to explain. "He was worried about you. He was trying to make sure we wouldn't bother you while you rested. You shouldn't have been so harsh with him."  
  
The old man looked at her for a long moment. Could she be right? Could Harry have been worried about him? That was strange, no one ever worried about him. Sure they made sure he was alright, but it was more like making sure he would be alright to do his job. He looked pensively towards the door. Maybe Minerva was right; and even when he had been practically ignoring Harry, the boy cared enough to be worried about him. If that was the case, he had probably been too harsh, but still... Harry shouldn't have lost his temper; spending some time in his room wouldn't harm him and would give him the chance to calm down.  
  
Sighing, he turned to Minerva and nodded slightly. "I'll talk to him later." The old man walked towards his desk and sat down. Looking up at the professors, he smiled slightly at them. "So, what brings you here? I thought you were going home to rest?"  
  
At once, both professors looked grave again. Snape was the first one to speak. "Albus, we think that some Death Eaters are going to try and attack the house. One of the ministry's spies just came back with the news. It seems Voldemort somehow found out about Alexander and he wants the boy killed to hurt you."  
  
Dumbledore paled and frowned. "How could they have found out about Alec?"  
  
Snape shrugged. "It's not so strange to think that Voldemort has his spies near this house, Albus. It wouldn't take more than a few snakes to find out."  
  
Dumbledore nodded and stroked his beard. The man was right, of course; he should have expected it. Sighing, the old man decided to take care of the problems one at a time and closed his eyes. He knew that the wards were weak due to his absence, so the first thing he had to do was to strengthen them. Reaching out of the house, he tried to find the familiar energy surrounding the house. Slowly, he started to pale, frantically searching; but no matter how hard he tried, he was not able to find the wards. He was starting to tremble with the effort when his senses suddenly picked up on a golden energy. Just as the original wards, they surrounded the house, but they were quite different from the ones he had always used; these seemed to be more like some of the older ones that surrounded Hogwarts. Prodding deeper, he sensed a few spells woven within the wards. Not all of them were defensive, some of them were put there to attack whomever tried to trespass the wards. Who could have put this ward in place? And most importantly, why had they done it?  
  
Opening his eyes again, he looked down at his clasped hands. There had only been one person in the house since the last time he had checked the wards, but how could Harry have managed it? There was no way he could have done such magic on his own. Then fear started to flow through him. If Harry had done this, then it was a wonder he was even conscious. Wards were usually put in place by a group of persons because they took a lot of energy. Thinking back at when he had seen the boy, he suddenly remembered just how pale he had been. Why hadn't he noticed before?  
  
The headmaster stood up sharply and hurried out of the door. The two puzzled professors followed him, noticing he didn't seem to be heading outside. Snape, who was getting annoyed at the headmaster's odd behaviour, reached out and took his arm.  
  
"Albus, what's wrong?"  
  
The man didn't even stop; instead he brusquely ripped his arm away from the other man's arm and continued walking. "Not now, Severus."  
  
The younger man was about to answer when Dumbledore broke into a run. Both professors looked at him for a moment, but when the old man fell on his knees, they hurried to reach his side.  
  
Minerva was the first to reach him. "Albus! Are you alright? Are you hurt?"  
  
But looking down, she paled at once. "Oh, god, Alec! What happened to him?"  
  
Dumbledore had cradled the small, unconscious form of his grandson to his chest. Minerva saw that the old man was really worried about the child. Not knowing what to do, she turned towards Severus, but saw he had stopped in front of a window.  
  
"Severus? Can you help me with Albus and Alec?"  
  
The younger man looked at her with huge black eyes. "There are about fifteen Death Eaters on the yard." Before the woman could react, he added. "They seem to be stunned."  
  
Before the deputy-headmistress could say anything, Dumbledore looked up. "Twinkle!"  
  
The elf appeared with a small pop and looked at her master. "Yes, Master Dumbledore?" If she could have, she would have paled at the sight of the young master lying in Master Dumbledore's arms.  
  
"Twinkle, did you know there were Death Eaters in the yard?"  
  
Twinkle looked down, not daring to look at the unusual stern man in front of her. "Master Alexander said the strange men were Death Eaters, Master."  
  
Dumbledore's frown deepened. "Why didn't you or Alec warn me?"  
  
The elf didn't look up. "Master Alexander and Twinkle wanted Master Dumbledore to rest, Master. Master Alexander said that Young Master would protect the house."  
  
Dumbledore took a deep breath; he was awfully close to losing his temper, something that hadn't happened in many years. The professors seemed to notice, for they stayed quiet while he talked with the elf. "And do you know how the child planned to do to protect the house?"  
  
The two teachers exchanged glances, wondering if the elf had noticed the special tone he used when saying the word 'child'. If Twinkle did, she didn't say so; instead she answered the question. "No, Master. Master Alexander just told Twinkle he would stop the bad men, and that if they reached the front door, Twinkle had to get Master Dumbledore out of the house."  
  
Dumbledore clenched his teeth. He didn't know whom he was angrier at, Twinkle for allowing the boy to take such foolish risks or Harry for even thinking about it. In a strained voice he told Twinkle to go and that they would have a talk later. Without turning, he spoke. "Minerva, please go get some aurors and take the Death Eaters away. Severus, can you help me with Alec?"  
  
Both of them nodded silently, wondering what exactly Alec had done. Snape went to Dumbledore's side and lifted the small child into his arms. He looked closely at his mentor, seeing he was very pale and his eyes were not twinkling. Both men walked towards Alec's bedroom, and once there, Snape placed the child on the bed. He was about to undress the boy so they could dress him in his pyjamas when Dumbledore waved him away.  
  
"Thank you for your help, Severus. It would be better if you left; it wouldn't do us any good if someone saw you here. God knows that the house will be full of ministry wizards as soon as this comes out."  
  
The younger man wanted to argue with him, but seeing the stern glint in the headmaster's eyes, he knew it would be useless. Nodding reluctantly, Severus turned around and left the room.  
  
Dumbledore was tucking Alec in bed when a soft knock disturbed his troubled thoughts. Standing up, he walked to the door and opened it a bit to see who it was. Seeing Minerva, he opened the door fully and allowed her to come in before going to sit down at Harry's bedside.  
  
"Albus."  
  
Brushing some hair out of the child's face, the old man didn't bother to look up. "Yes?"  
  
"The ministry wants to talk to you about the Death Eaters and about the new wards that surround the house."  
  
The old man pursed his lips. In the past few weeks he had put his work over Harry, never saying 'no' when he knew others could have done a good enough work in his place. Well, not this time. "Tell the minister that I'm not available at the moment."  
  
The woman couldn't help when a small, pleased smile graced her face. It seemed that the man had finally understood. "What about the wards?"  
  
The headmaster stayed silent for a few moments and then, without turning around, he spoke. "I put up the new wards just after you and Severus warned me about the Death Eaters."  
  
Minerva blinked in confusion, she was sure he hadn't done it. Then, looking at the small boy lying on the bed, she finally understood what was going on. "He did it?"  
  
Dumbledore looked up at her shocked voice and nodded slightly. "It seems to be this way, unless someone else has entered the house since this morning without my knowledge."  
  
Minerva wanted to tell him that it was impossible, that an eleven year old couldn't do that. But seeing the sad face of the headmaster, she thought better of it. It was impossible, but she had learned that with Dumbledore, nearly nothing was impossible. Could it be the same with this small child? Could he hold the same power his grandfather did? Dumbledore seemed to think so, and she wasn't going to argue with him right now. Nodding, she turned around and left them alone.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews, and thanks to my beta-reader, Vinnie. 


	20. Alec's awakening

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
For nearly a week, Harry slept in his bed at Dumbledore's house. Usually, the headmaster was found at his side, reluctant to leave the boy on his own or with anyone else. Snape and McGonagall had taken to spend all their spare time in the house, making sure Dumbledore would sleep and eat once in awhile. Even when he was dragged into a bed and managed to fall asleep from sheer exhaustion, the man was not able to sleep for long, thoughts about Harry plaguing his dreams. It had reached to the point in which Severus had had to slip a sleeping potion in the man's tea, just to get him to rest.  
  
It was very late one night when Harry finally started to stir. The room was dark except for the small light Dumbledore was using to read. On the other side of the room, Severus was sleeping peacefully after a full day of brewing potions. Neither wizard noticed when Harry slowly and carefully opened his eyes. The boy was feeling dizzy, even when lying down. Closing his eyes again, he waited for a few moments and tried again. This time, the room stayed still, and he was able to slightly turn his head towards the small light coming from one of the corners of the room. The sight of Dumbledore sitting there surprised him a bit. He remembered how angry the headmaster had been at him, not without reason now that he thought about it. Flushing slightly, he turned his eyes around the room and was even more surprised to see someone sleeping in a bed on the far side of his room. In the darkness, he wasn't able to see who it was, but he hoped his scar was still hidden. Moving his hand a little, he managed to reach for the charm that still hung around his neck. He was feeling tired again, but he needed to tell Dumbledore that he was awake. By the tired look the old man had on his face, he had to guess this wasn't the first night he had sit at his bedside.  
  
In a soft, hesitant voice, the child called the headmaster. "Granddad."  
  
The man looked up startled. His eyes settled on the small child and he quickly put his book down. Standing up, the old man hurried to Harry's side, settling on the bed. "Alec, thank Merlin you're awake."  
  
He gently put a hand through the child's hair, and then moved it to caress his cheek. Harry leaned into the hand, closing his eyes. "How are you feeling, Alec?"  
  
The boy didn't even open his eyes. "Tired."  
  
Dumbledore chuckled softly. "That's to be expected, my child." Leaning slightly over him, he kissed the boy's forehead. "Go back to sleep, Alec, you need your rest."  
  
Harry mumbled something but was already asleep by the time Dumbledore removed his hand from the boy's face.  
  
The old man looked down at the child for a long moment, and then sighing, he looked towards to where Snape was still sleeping. They were in for a few long days.  
  
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000  
  
It was nearly evening when Harry awoke again. Blinking a few times, he noticed Dumbledore was the one sleeping this time and that Professor Snape was sitting at his bedside, reading a rather thick book. Feeling an odd sense of de-ja-vu, Harry decided it was better not to test the other man's patience and warn him that he was awake. Carefully, he tried to sit up; he felt his upper-body tremble, and he would have fallen back onto his pillows if strong hands hadn't caught him. Looking up, he saw the concerned dark eyes of Professor Snape trained on him, and he allowed the older man to support him until he was sitting against the pillows.  
  
"How are you feeling?"  
  
The boy shrugged slightly. "I'm fine, sir." Then, looking towards his grandfather, he frowned slightly. "Is he alright? He looks so tired."  
  
Snape's features softened as he looked towards the old man. "He'll be fine, he's just tired, and he has been very worried about you."  
  
The boy looked at him confused. "But I thought he was angry at me?"  
  
A sleep filled voice answered him. "I am angry at you, yet it doesn't mean I'm not concerned about you."  
  
Harry bowed his head sadly and saw from the corner of his eyes how Dumbledore stood up and went to sit next to him. He felt Snape stand up and leave the room, but he didn't want to look up. He was startled when a gentle hand caressed his cheek and forced him to look up. Wanting to break the tense silence, the child was the first to speak. "I'm sorry, sir."  
  
Dumbledore looked at him closely. "Why are you sorry?"  
  
Harry blinked up at him, clearly confused by the odd question. "I'm sorry for making you angry."  
  
The old headmaster raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think I'm angry?"  
  
Harry looked at him even more confused, not understanding why the man was asking all those questions; the boy started to answer carefully. "Because I said all those things to the professors."  
  
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. "I'm not angry about that anymore. I understand that you were worried about me, and even if I don't like the tone of voice you used nor the way you spoke to the professors, I know you didn't do it to insult me or them." Pausing for a moment, he then spoke again, his voice incredibly stern. "What I am angry about is how you risked your life and well-being in such a foolish way. Have you got any idea how dangerous that was?" He wanted to say more, but the crushed look in the child's eyes stopped him. Sighing, he took the boy in his arms and hugged him tightly, he hadn't meant to start ranting at the boy; he would have preferred it to wait until he was stronger and could understand more of what he was saying. "You scared me, Alec, I don't think you know how much."  
  
Kissing his forehead lightly, he released the boy and let him lay against his pillows once again. "We'll talk about this later, right now you need to eat, and then sleep some more."  
  
Harry didn't answer; he just didn't want to upset the old man further. Lying silently against his pillows while Dumbledore went to fetch Twinkle, Harry couldn't help but wonder what was up with the man. Never before had he seemed to be so open with his feelings, and now he was allowing Harry to see beyond the headmaster's facade. He was starting to discover much more from the man, and he started to wonder if he shouldn't do the same. He had started to let himself go before the raids, but at the Headmaster's prolonged absence, he had decided that the man was just doing his duty and that he shouldn't bother him with his feelings. Now he wasn't sure anymore, maybe he was a bit more than duty; why else would Dumbledore have stayed with him all this time? A small voice in the back oh his mind told him it was only to protect his charade.  
  
Before that little voice could take force, a gentle hand settled on his forehead. Looking up, he was once again met with the worried eyes of his headmaster. "Is there something wrong?"  
  
Shaking his head, he allowed the old man to put the tray on his lap and started to eat a bit. They didn't speak anymore, Harry was too confused to try and hold a conversation, and Dumbledore wasn't sure he would be able to reign his annoyance at the boy if he spoke, so they stayed silent, both trying to collect their thoughts and hoping they would be able to get over this and find, once again, the link that had united them a few weeks ago.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And special thanks to my beta-reader, Vinnie. 


	21. Discussions

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
Harry walked slowly through the halls of Dumbledore's manor. Twinkle had come to tell him that his grandfather wanted to see him in his office, and he wasn't looking forward to it. It had been a few days since the attack, and Dumbledore had forced him to stay in bed until he was sure he was strong enough. But now it was time they talked about what had happened, and he wasn't looking forward to it. Sighing, he stopped in front of Dumbledore's office and knocked softly.  
  
"Come in."  
  
Taking a deep breath, Harry opened the door and walked in. After silently closing the door, he walked until he was in front of the large table. The old headmaster was writing something on a thick parchment and continued, ignoring Harry. Finally, he signed the piece of paper and rolled it up, giving it to a tawny owl that had been waiting by his side. Once the owl ha left the office, Dumbledore finally looked up at him. Harry glanced at him for a moment, noticing that his usually twinkling blue eyes were stern and were looking at him seriously.  
  
The boy was starting to wonder if he should say anything when the headmaster broke the silence. "Sit down, Alexander."  
  
Harry winced at his full name, he was in so much trouble... Sighing, he sat down as the old man had said, grateful that he didn't have to keep standing on his slightly shaking legs. While he had mostly recovered, he still got tired easily and he somehow knew that this discussion would be draining. Dumbledore looked at him for another long moment until he sat back into his chair and began to speak. "First things first, I understand why you shouted to Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape, and they both agree with me that we should let it go, but understand that I won't allow you to speak to them that way ever again. No matter what situation we find ourselves in, they are still your teachers and therefore they deserve proper respect, understood?"  
  
Harry nodded, somewhat relieved he wasn't going to get in trouble for that. "Yes, sir."  
  
Dumbledore nodded and smiled slightly at him. "Very well. I've talked to Twinkle about what happened the day we were attacked. She has told me what happened so there's no need to explain, except for the wards, but we'll get back at that later. As for now, I would like to know why you chose to do some of the most draining magic by yourself, putting not only your life at risk but also mine and Twinkle. You could have woken me up instead of doing such foolish thing." Harry winced a little at the harsh voice, but the headmaster was not finished. "And not only that, but what would have happened if you had failed. You gave Twinkle orders to bring me to safety, but what about you, Alec? What would have happened to you if the Death Eaters had managed to get through?" Once he had got that out of him, Dumbledore looked intently at the bowed head of his student. When no answer came forward, he spoke again. "Why didn't you call me?"  
  
Finally, the boy spoke, his childish voice soft and uncertain. "You were so tired, I was afraid you wouldn't be to fight against all those Death Eaters and would get hurt."  
  
Dumbledore frowned. "I know that, Alec. Didn't it occur to you that I could have called for help? It would have only taken a few minutes to get the house full of Aurors."  
  
Harry turned his head away, and Dumbledore knew that he had known that. Then why hadn't he wanted him to warn them? Getting impatient, Dumbledore shifted in his seat. "Alec, I'm trying to understand you. Why didn't you want me to call the Aurors?"  
  
The boy stayed silent for a long time, thinking about it. Finally, when Dumbledore was about to speak again, Harry looked up and answered. "They might have been hurt."  
  
Dumbledore could do nothing but gape at the boy for a moment. "Alec! It's their job to keep people from being hurt; they have been trained to do it. It's certainly not your job to keep them from being hurt." For an instant, Harry's expression showed bitter amusement, although it was instantly replaced by acceptance. Dumbledore didn't miss it, and he suddenly understood. "You don't trust us."  
  
Harry looked up sharply, startled at the sudden turn in the conversation. "Of course I trust you!"  
  
Dumbledore was shaking his head. "You don't trust us to keep you safe."  
  
Harry stayed still for a few moments, pondering his headmaster's words. He had never admitted it to himself but a small part of him knew that Dumbledore was right. Suddenly, he was forced to confront it, confront the knowledge that he had never trusted anyone completely. Not even Ron and Hermione. Sure he trusted them to a certain extent, but not about his safety nor with his thoughts. All the trust that he might have harboured in his teachers was erased every summer by returning to the Dursleys. They served as a constant reminder that no matter what happened, he was alone, and he would always be alone; he had no one to depend on so he had to depend on himself and no one else. He had grown so used to having no one, that the fact that some Aurors might be there to protect had never crossed his mind. He was the protector; he was the one who fought. The notion that someone would wish to protect him had never crossed his mind.  
  
After finally confronting these thoughts, Harry felt very alone. Who would ever want to be with someone who could not completely trust them?  
  
Trembling slightly, Harry curled up in his chair, wrapping his arms around his knees. He didn't even notice the worried headmaster moving to kneel in front of him.  
  
"Alec." Harry started and looked up slightly, seeing Dumbledore so close was unnerving. "Are you alright, Alec? What's bothering you?"  
  
"I can't."  
  
Dumbledore frowned worriedly. "You can't what?"  
  
"Trust." Harry paused for a moment before continuing. "I can't trust people with my safety; no one has ever cared about my safety. But it's not only about that; I can't trust them with my feelings and my thoughts either, I don't know how, no one has ever taught me how." He let out a short, bitter laugh. "I guess I'm a loner, and that I'll always be a loner. Even at Hogwarts I'm alone, unable to trust anyone completely, not even Ron and Hermione; what will happen when they notice? Will they stop talking to me?"  
  
Not waiting for an answer, he buried his head in his knees and proceeded to ignore Dumbledore's attempts to get his attention. Then suddenly, there were warm, gentle arms around him, trying to move him into a more comfortable position, but Harry didn't give in, he wasn't in the mood. The chair under him sifted, and after touching it with one of his hands, he realized Dumbledore had transfigured it into a couch. The old man was now sitting next to him, still holding him tightly and rubbing his back with soothing hands.  
  
"Child, listen to me."  
  
Harry shook his head slightly, he didn't want to listen. Dumbledore ignored him and continued speaking.  
  
"I can not say that I understand how you're feeling, so I'll spare you the hypocrisy. But I know you can learn to trust people again if you want to. Just take it one at the time, start with small things; it doesn't need to come all at once, just grow up to it. I'm sure that just as you've learned how to mistrust them, you can learn to trust them again." The old headmaster paused for a moment; the only indication that Harry had been listening to him was the way he had slightly relaxed against him. "I also want you to know that I'll be here for you, and I'll try to help you with everything I can, whether you choose to trust me or not."  
  
Harry's muffled voice rang through the room. "You weren't there for the last few weeks." His voice was soft but slightly accusing, and Dumbledore's hand froze on the youth's back. The boy was right, how could he be telling him that he would be there when he got so wrapped up in his work that he barely spent any time with him? How could he expect the boy to believe in him after he had been ignored for weeks? The feel of guilt came back full force, but Harry quickly spoke before he could answer. "Sorry, that was mean."  
  
Dumbledore shook his head, but since Harry was still hiding his head in his arms, he didn't see it. "No, it wasn't, you were merely stating a fact. I'm very sorry I left you here alone for so long."  
  
Harry shrugged slightly. "It's ok, I understand."  
  
The old headmaster frowned. "I know you do, but that doesn't mean you weren't hurt. Neglect always hurts, and I'm sorry I didn't see it before."  
  
Harry stayed silent for a moment and then nodded slowly. "Yes, I was hurt." The boy looked up abruptly; he seemed to be angry at something, but Dumbledore couldn't guess at what. "I was hurt, and I don't understand why! I shouldn't feel this way. You're my headmaster, you've already done more than was asked from you when you took me in, and here I am asking for even more." Wrapping his arms tighter around his small frame, Harry looked up at him. "It seems I'm no better than those vultures at the ministry, always asking for more. I'm sorry, Headmaster, it won't happen again."  
  
At the end, the boy was trembling and he buried his head in his arms again. Dumbledore's frown deepened; he wrapped his arms around the boy tighter, pressing him against his chest, and he began to talk softly into his ear. "Harry, please, Harry, calm down. It's not your fault that you're feeling this way. It's normal for you to want attention after the childhood you've had."  
  
Harry shrugged angrily. "But it's wrong to demand it from you when you have no obligation towards me but teach me."  
  
Dumbledore shook his head slightly. "Harry... Alec, when we started, I offered you a thing I know you've wanted for years, a family. No matter who I am, at the moment, I am your grandfather in everything but blood, and as such, you're in my care. I'm not only here to protect you, my child, I'm here to take care of you, to love you, to teach you, as any grandfather would do to his grandson." Caressing the boy's head, Dumbledore's voice became even gentler. "I'm very sorry I neglected you; I'm going to figure something out so it doesn't happen again."  
  
Harry looked up slightly, a frown on his face. "But..."  
  
Dumbledore shook his head and brought a finger to his lips. "Alec, please, no buts. Let's just try to work this out, ok?"  
  
Harry looked at him for a long moment and then nodded his head, finally allowing himself to relax in Dumbledore's arms. "Ok, Granddad."  
  
The old headmaster smiled and pulled him into a tight, comforting hug, that made some of the loneliness disappear.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews, and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	22. Discussions II

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies  
  
Dumbledore and Harry stayed silent for a long while, both unwilling to break the comfortable silence. Finally, with a small sigh, Dumbledore drew a little away so he could see Harry's face. "Are you going to tell me how you did it?" At Alec's confused face, he elaborated. "As far as I know, you won't cover protection shields until sixth year, and that's more than a year away. Besides, I'm sure I've never see such a shield, it resembles some of the older ones that cover Hogwarts."  
  
Harry looked embarrassed. "I was bored."  
  
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, that couldn't be the whole explanation. "And?"  
  
"I got into a study frenzy." Alec blushed slightly, not looking the headmaster in the eye. "I kind of learned a lot of things in those few weeks."  
  
Dumbledore nodded slightly. "Such as?"  
  
The boy shrugged. "I read the books for the last years of Hogwarts, practiced all the charms, hexes, and curses. Then I moved to your books, I hope you don't mind." Dumbledore shook his head, slightly impressed. "I found out some interesting facts."  
  
The old headmaster looked at him carefully; he wouldn't have dared, would he? "You have not attempted the animagus transformation, have you?"  
  
Harry smiled shyly. "Not yet, but I'm working on it."  
  
Dumbledore looked at him sternly, but then relented. "Oh, very well, but when you try, either Minerva or I will be there, and there will be trouble for you if I find out you tried on your own, got it?"  
  
Harry laughed slightly. "Ok."  
  
The old man nodded slightly. "Very well, so what else did you discover?"  
  
Harry looked up at him nervously. "I'm kind of good at wandless magic."  
  
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. "How good?"  
  
The boy shrugged slightly and motioned to the room. "The wards I put around the house were done wandless, that's why they are strange."  
  
Dumbledore stayed silent for a long moment. He had always known Harry had a large affinity to magic, but that was more than he expected. But even so, to be able to put up wards around a whole house, how much control of his magic would the child have to have? He must have worked very hard to get it, no wonder he had looked so tired. Finally, knowing that the boy would continue to practice no matter what he said, Dumbledore broke the silence.  
  
"Let's make a deal, Alec."  
  
The boy looked up curiously at him. "What kind of deal?"  
  
"I'll tutor you, but you will not get into another 'study frenzy', as you called it. Don't think I've not noticed how thin you are and how tired you were when I came back. I don't need Twinkle to tell me that you've not been eating properly or sleeping all you should. So, agreed?"  
  
Harry nodded happily. "Sure, Granddad."  
  
Books were great, but receiving lessons from Dumbledore himself would be much better. Then he couldn't help to think about what others would say, wouldn't they be suspicious about what he had done? It was already strange at fifteen, and they thought he was even younger. When he voiced his thoughts, Dumbledore merely shrugged.  
  
"Right now you're a member of my family; the Dumbledores have always been powerful, and it will be easy to explain." He stayed silent for a moment, and then spoke again, his stern tone back in place. "And in case you're wondering, you're grounded." Harry blinked up at him. "I may understand why it happened, but that doesn't change the fact that you took foolish risks; you'll be helping Twinkle with her chores for a week, is that understood?"  
  
Harry blinked again and then nodded slowly, a small smile on his face. It may not be really fun that he was grounded, but the fact that someone had bothered to properly ground him instead of locking him up in a cupboard when he misbehaved was refreshing. It seemed that Dumbledore really cared, and it wouldn't be that bad, the elf was fun to be with.  
  
Shifting slightly in Dumbledore's arms, Harry leaned once again into the man's chest. He could get used to this, to have someone there that really cared. To have someone who didn't mind hugging him when he needed comfort or to lecture him when he had stepped out of line. It was refreshing to know that everything Dumbledore did was not laced by fear like his relatives but because that was what he thought was better for him.  
  
The old headmaster watched fondly as the young child nestled in his arms fell into a peaceful slumber. Chuckling softly, the old man moved a bit so that Harry was lying comfortably against some pillows. Then he stood up and went back to his work.  
  
All was silent for a while, but then a soft knock interrupted his work. Looking at Harry to make sure he was still sleeping, the old man stood up and went to open the door. Snape and McGonagall stood there, waiting patiently to be acknowledged. But instead of inviting them in, he stepped out and closed the door behind him.  
  
"Sorry, but Alec and I had a pretty tiring discussion, and he fell asleep in there. I don't want to disturb him."  
  
Both teachers nodded in understanding. Snape looked at him carefully. "Do you know how Alexander did it?"  
  
Dumbledore shrugged slightly, looking a bit pensive. "He told me, yes, but I'm still trying to figure out how much of it was sheer luck. When I was at the Ministry, he got into my books, and several were about protection charms. He says he just picked one and tried it out."  
  
Snape looked at him disbelieving. "That's impossible; no child would be able to do that!"  
  
Dumbledore smiled brightly. "I know."  
  
McGonagall blinked slightly. "Albus, I didn't even knew he had a wand."  
  
The old headmaster shrugged. "He doesn't." Before either could say anything about that, he continued. "I think that when he heard that there were Death Eaters attacking the house, he just wished he could protect us. You know when children for wish something they tend to use magic to get it."  
  
McGonagall passed a hand over her face. "Yes, yes, but, Albus, usually, children use summoning charms or levitating charms, that's easy; to be able to use protection charms at such a young age would mean he will be..."  
  
"Very powerful."  
  
Dumbledore looked pleased with himself, and both teachers assumed he was happy to have such a gifted child in his care. Before they could comment, the door opened behind the headmaster and small arms enveloped his from behind. Dumbledore smiled fondly down at the boy. "Did you have a nice nap, Alec?"  
  
Harry nodded slightly. "Yes, Granddad, sorry for falling asleep on you."  
  
The old headmaster chuckled. "That's ok, Child, don't worry about it."  
  
McGonagall bent over and looked him in the eye. "How are you feeling, Alec?"  
  
"Much better, ma'am, thanks for asking."  
  
The woman chuckled, but the boy was now looking at the potions master, who wore a small smile on his lips. Seeing that the child was looking at him, and assuming Dumbledore would want to speak to McGonagall, he nodded down at the boy. "How about a game of chess, Alexander?"  
  
Harry's face brightened, and he looked up pleadingly at Dumbledore. The old man smiled down at him. "Yes, yes, you can go, there's no need to look at me like that, as long as you report to Twinkle half an hour before lunch and help her out."  
  
Alec grinned and let go of his arm. "I will, Granddad. See you later."  
  
The boy bounced towards the younger man and made a show of taking his hand and dragged him away, ignoring the Potions master's loud complaints at being treated that way even if he wasn't doing anything to get Alec to release his hand.  
  
Dumbledore and McGonagall watched amusedly until they disappeared around the corner, then the old man shook his head. "That's it, now I know for sure he has done something to Severus."  
  
Minerva laughed. "Indeed. Who would have thought that the old Slytherin would have a soft spot for that kid?"  
  
The headmaster nodded, his eyes twinkling brightly at the irony. "Who would have thought, indeed?" Then he turned around and opened the door. "How about some tea, Minerva? You've yet to tell me why you're here."  
  
The woman shrugged slightly and followed him inside. "Nothing special, you know how Fudge is..."  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews, thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie.  
  
Well, I've been nominated in the category for Best Author in The Harry Potter Fanfiction.net Fan Fiction Awards, anyone who wishes to vote go to:   
  
http://groups.msn.com/TheHarryPotterFanfiction-netFanFictionAwards/theballotcomevote.msnw  
  
Polaris 


	23. Nightmares

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies  
  
Days passed quickly and even if Dumbledore was needed from time to time at the ministry he always tried to get some free hours to spend with Harry. Snape and McGonagall did all they could to help him, and worked even harder than before to make sure he would be able to spend some time with the boy.  
  
Harry was also happy with the new arrangements. When Dumbledore was at home, the old man took the time to teach him many things, most of them centred on duelling. When he wasn't there, Harry either worked on things that Dumbledore had asked him to do, read, or slept, catching up on all the hours he lost during the nights due to his constant nightmares. No matter what Dumbledore had said about trust, Harry hadn't told him about the dreams he kept having with Cedric and his parents blaming him about what had happened to them. He constantly put up silencing charms, trying to make sure they weren't very obvious since he had the feeling the headmaster would be quite angry with him if he found out. His room was close enough to the headmaster's and he knew that if he didn't put up the silencing charms the man would be disturbed, and Harry just knew that he needed his sleep. He also knew Dumbledore wouldn't agree with him and that he would be in trouble if the man found out. Yet he was willing to take the risk.  
  
Unfortunately for him, he was right. One night, Dumbledore had returned home late after a meeting at the ministry. On the way to his room, he decided to check on his grandson. When he opened the door to the boy's room, the sight that greeted him made him drop the cloak he had been carrying and rush into the room. As soon as he walked in, Harry's terrified whimpers rang into his ears making him move quicker to reach his side.  
  
Sitting at the child's side, he gently sat him up and hugged him tightly to his chest, noticing he was already awake. Rubbing his back gently, Dumbledore started to speak softly into the boy's ear, trying to stop the trembling.  
  
It took about ten minutes before Harry relaxed enough for Dumbledore to let him out of his embrace and back into his pillows. Harry took a look at his serious face and groaned. "I think I'm in trouble."  
  
Dumbledore didn't look amused. "Indeed, you are. But first, I want to know how long this has been going on."  
  
Harry shrugged slightly; he thought it would be easier to try and remember the last night he didn't have a nightmare, but knowing the headmaster wouldn't like that answer, he chose to remain silent. The old headmaster narrowed his eyes. "So, do I have to assume it that this has been going on for a while? And that all this time you've been placing silencing charms around the room?"  
  
Alec nodded reluctantly, but didn't try to explain himself; it would probably have annoyed the headmaster even more. Dumbledore debated whether he should press the matter or just accept the answer. In the end, he decided he would wait for Harry to come to him; it would be better that way.  
  
"You're grounded." Harry nodded slightly; he had been expecting it. "You are not allowed to leave your room except for meals and you're tutoring with me, understood?"  
  
Harry sighed, he would have preferred to help Twinkle again but at his grandfather's penetrated glare, he simply nodded. "Yes, Granddad."  
  
Dumbledore stood up and tucked him in. "And no more silencing charms, Alec."  
  
Harry frowned but Dumbledore didn't give him the chance to answer back. With a wave of his wand, the old headmaster disabled the silencing charms he had put on his room that night and left the room.  
  
The next few days were stressing for the two of them. Even when confined to his room, Dumbledore made sure he had plenty to do; between reading and homework, the boy didn't get bored. The only thing he missed was his chess games with Professor Snape. The man had seemingly enjoyed their games and every two or three days he was there to play. On the other hand, the nightmares kept coming. He had tried to put a silencing charm on his room again, but Dumbledore had put a spell on the room to warn him if that happened. To say the old man had been angry was an understatement; he had shouted at him for a few minutes and then threatened to spank him, no matter what age he really was. Harry, knowing the old man really would do it if he kept this up, decided to take the safer way and stopped spelling his rooms. That meant they spent at least two hours every night awake, with Dumbledore comforting Harry after he had had another nightmare. Within a week, they were both exhausted. Dumbledore had work to do, so he wasn't able to catch up on sleep, and Alec refused to sleep since the headmaster wasn't able to either. Professors Snape and McGonagall, and later, even Sirius and Remus, offered to stay the night and help them out, knowing Harry had nightmares every night, but both men refused. Too often Harry would wake up screaming Cedric's name and that would be a death give-away.  
  
The tiredness lead to endless arguments between both the headmaster and student.  
  
"But, Granddad, if I put a silencing charm around my room I won't wake you!"  
  
Dumbledore nodded in agreement. "Exactly my point, I don't want you to go through your nightmares alone."  
  
Harry sighed in frustration. "But you need your rest."  
  
"So do you, and your emotional state is more important than a few hours of sleep."  
  
Harry looked at him annoyed. "I can sleep during the day, while you're away. And my emotional state is fine."  
  
Dumbledore looked at him disbelieving. "Of course it is, that's why you have nightmares every night."  
  
Harry was about to answer back when the door to the office opened and McGonagall entered, followed by Snape, who shut the door after him. The woman looked hesitantly at the two of them.  
  
"Is there something wrong? We could hear you shouting from the hall."  
  
Dumbledore shook his head and Alec sank back into his chair. "We were only having a slight disagreement."  
  
Snape raised an eyebrow. "Slight?"  
  
Neither answered. Even if the teachers knew that Alec was grounded and that he had nightmares, they didn't know exactly what was going on. Dumbledore hadn't told them about the silencing charms.  
  
Snape, seeing he wasn't going to get an answer, turned to Harry, a stern look on his face. "Are you still grounded?"  
  
Harry shrugged and looked questioningly at the headmaster who was still looking at him intently. Answering the silent question, Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "First, I want you to promise me there will be no repeat of this."  
  
Harry scowled. "But Gran..."  
  
Dumbledore's sharp voice cut through the small office. "Alexander Dumbledore, this is not open to discussion, either you promise me, or you'll stay grounded till you're eighteen."  
  
They looked at each other intently for a long while, but finally, Harry had no choice but to relent. "Oh, ok."  
  
"Ok, what?"  
  
Harry rolled his eyes. "Ok, I won't put up any more silencing charms around my room, happy?"  
  
Dumbledore narrowed his eyes. "Alec."  
  
The boy bowed his head, blushing slightly. "Sorry."  
  
Both stayed silent for a long moment until Dumbledore nodded. "Very well, you can go. Remember to do that essay I said. I'll see you at dinner."  
  
Harry sighed in relief and nodded. "See you later, Granddad."   
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and special thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie.  
  
Well, I've been nominated in the category for Best Author in The Harry Potter Fanfiction.net Fan Fiction Awards, anyone who wishes to vote go to:   
  
http://groups.msn.com/TheHarryPotterFanfiction-netFanFictionAwards/theballotcomevote.msnw  
  
Polaris 


	24. Break down I

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
A few nights later, Dumbledore was sitting on Harry's bed, comforting the crying boy after a particularly bad nightmare. The small child was trembling from head to toe, gripping onto his headmaster tightly while the man tried to calm him down with soft words and gentle caresses. A soft knock on the door made Dumbledore stop for a second. It was three in the morning and he had not been expecting anyone. Knowing it had to be important for someone to try to find him at this hour, he tried to pry Harry's arms from his neck, but the child refused to be moved. Finally, Dumbledore muttered a levitation charm and just picked Harry up, cradling him gently against his chest, and went to open the door. He was startled to see Severus standing there. The man looked paler than usual and had been about to knock again.  
  
Sensing the man's distraught mood, he motioned for him to come inside the room. "Come in, Severus. What's wrong?"  
  
The younger man came in but didn't close the door behind him, looking warily at the child clutched in the headmaster's arms, he answered. "There's been a death eater attack; you're needed at the ministry."  
  
Dumbledore frowned; looking down at the child nestled against his chest. Harry was still crying softly and didn't seem to be aware of what was going on. Shaking his head, the old man sighed. "I can't go right now, Severus."  
  
The man looked anxiously at him. "I hate to insist, Albus, but Flitwick was injured and they need your help there." Seeing that the headmaster was still undecided, the younger man motioned to the boy. "I'll stay with him and make sure he goes back to sleep."  
  
The old man was torn, he knew Harry needed him, but if Severus was insisting for him to go, things had to be very serious. Finally he sighed and turned towards his grandson. "Alec, I need to go, Professor Snape is going to stay with you, ok?"  
  
The child didn't answer, but he drew his arms away from his grandfather's neck. Carefully, Dumbledore handed the boy to Severus, who immediately wrapped him into his arms in a comforting hug. The old man watched a bit amused as Harry latched onto the dark-haired man as he had been doing to him and smiled slightly. Caressing the boy's head, he looked up at his young teacher. "Give him a sleeping potion when he has calmed down, he needs to sleep and it's been a while since he had a good rest." Not to mention that that would stop further nightmares, and therefore Severus wouldn't find out about anything.  
  
The younger man nodded, lifting the young child a bit higher in his arms. "Don't worry, Albus, I will. You really need to get going."  
  
When the door closed after the old headmaster, Severus turned his attention to the child he held in his arms. Sighing, he sat down on the bed and moved Alec comfortably on his lap. Cradling the boy closer, he started to rock him, talking softly into his ear. He was lucky that his own Slytherins always came to him for comfort, else he wouldn't have known what to do. But this child was just like any other Slytherin first year and Severus didn't mind calming him from his nightmares. Finally, Alec relaxed against him, burying his head closer into his neck. Once the child's breath was even, Severus pushed him slightly away, checking if the boy was asleep. He was slightly surprised to see him wide awake, looking at him through puffy red eyes.  
  
"Better now, Alec?"  
  
The child blushed slightly and nodded. "Yes, thank you, sir."  
  
Snape chuckled softly. "There's nothing to worry about." Then he carefully caressed the boy's soft hair. "Do you want to tell me about your nightmare?"  
  
Alec tensed in his arms and tried to push him away. Frowning, the Potions master held him gently and spoke softly to him again. "It's ok, child, you don't need to tell me, but you would feel better about it."  
  
The boy shook his head vigorously, terrified at the thought that the man would force him to tell him. Sighing, Severus stood up and placed the boy on the bed. "Very well, but if you can't tell people about them, then you maybe should write it down. It's not good to keep everything inside, it's better to just get it all out."  
  
Leaving the pensive boy behind, he walked out of the room and went to pick up one of his sleeping potions from Dumbledore's office. When he returned, the child was sitting up in bed, obviously lost in thoughts. He barely looked at Snape when this offered him the potion and he was out even before he managed to finish drinking it.  
  
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000  
  
Harry blinked tiredly, he could tell he had been sleeping for a long time, but the evening sun had finally managed to wake him up. Sitting up, rubbing his eyes, he noticed he was alone in his room. Stretching, the boy stood up and went to the bathroom to clean up. Half an hour later, Alec entered the kitchen where a happy elf was already preparing dinner. The small being grinned up at him when she noticed him. "Slept well, Master Alexander?"  
  
The boy nodded slightly and sat down at the table. "Yes. Is granddad home?"  
  
Twinkle became a bit subdued. "No, young master, he said to tell you that he would probably come home late today."  
  
Harry nodded and accepted the hot cup of tea from the house-elf. The two stayed silent for a long moment, Alec was still thinking intently about what Snape had said last night. His nightmares about the third task were getting worse, every night he saw Cedric killed and even when Dumbledore's words were finally starting to have an effect he was sick and tired of the nightmares that plagued his sleep. Sighing, he sipped on his cup, relishing the taste of the hot liquid.  
  
Maybe Snape was right, maybe he should talk about it to someone, the question was, who? He only had Dumbledore to talk to and he really didn't feel that comfortable at that thought. Not that he didn't trust the man... well, he trusted him as much as he could at the moment, but talking to the headmaster hadn't helped before and he didn't think it was going to help now.  
  
Deep inside himself, he knew the reason why it wouldn't help. While he trusted the man enough to tell him what had happened, he knew he wasn't going to tell him how he felt about it and he knew that that was the problem. He needed to deal with the way he felt. Maybe he should do what Snape had told him to do, maybe writing all his feelings down was really going to help. Sighing, the boy stood up and nodding to Twinkle he left the kitchen and headed up to his room. It was worth a try, it couldn't get worse than it already was.  
  
The child went to sit at the table and picked up a few pieces of parchment and a quill. He sat there, looking at the blank page, wondering how he should start. Sighing, he dipped the quill in ink and carefully started to write, explaining to the silent parchment what had happened during the tournament. He arrived at the moment in which Cedric and he had been arguing about the cup and stopped. This wasn't helping, he didn't need to remember what had happened; he already knew what had happened. He needed to write down why he had done what he had and what he had felt by doing it. With slightly trembling hands he started to describe how he had felt when Cedric had offered him the cup, how tempted he had been to pick it alone, how his honour had stopped him from doing that and how right it had felt when the other boy accepted to take the cup with him.  
  
Slowly Harry described all that had happened; he even forced himself to write the dreaded words that had been plaguing his nightmares. Kill the Spare. For a good twenty minutes he ranted to the piece of paper about how Cedric hadn't been a spare and how he hated Wormtail, Voldemort and himself for those words. By the time he had started to describe the pain of the cruciatus he was trembling, tears clouding his vision. But he sharply dried them, he needed to get it out, now that he had started he didn't want to stop. The happiness and deep pain he had felt when he had seen his parents, the betrayal and relieve he had experienced in Moody's office, the rage at the minister for not believing him, the lost feeling in the pit of his stomach when Sirius had been forced to leave, the anger at Dumbledore for forcing him to go back to the Dursley and finally the apathy he had fallen in there, it all went into the parchment. By the time he was at the Dursley's home he was in tears, his hands were trembling so hard that he was no longer able to write and the parchment was full of ink. For a second he tried to calm down but then he noticed that he didn't want to calm down, he was angry, hurt and he wanted the feeling to leave. Allowing his anger to finally come out, he stood up, picked up his chair and crashed it into a wall. He was beyond control, he needed to break something and he did. Not caring about what he touched, he started to break everything in his path. When that wasn't enough, the boy started to scream at the top of his lungs, crying for the whole world to hear how he hated Voldemort, and Wormtail and even the Dursley.  
  
It took him nearly two hours to calm down. His face was flushed, washed by tears. He was still trembling violently and he had trouble drawing air. Feeling strangely empty, he collapsed against the wall and sank down until he was lying on his side, surveying the destroyed room. Closing his red trimmed eyes, he started to cry again, but this time it was almost silent. All his rage spent, he now cried out his pain and loneliness until he felt in an exhausted sleep.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	25. Break down II

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
Dumbledore was exhausted when he entered his house later that same day; he had been trying to reassure everyone while trying to keep an eye on his professors and find out what exactly had happened. It had not been a large attack, but it was no secret that the Flitwicks were very involved with him and the Death Eaters had tried to eliminate that threat. Luckily, Filius was not a charms master for nothing and had managed to hold them off long enough for a bunch of aurors to reach them. It had taken a bit of time to sort everything out, and after that he had had to stay and question the two Death Eaters they had managed to capture. Finally, Minerva had sent him home while the other teachers worked on plans to make sure something like that wouldn't happen again. He would have liked to stay, but his deputy- headmistress had been adamant. Silently, the old man shrugged his cloak off and hung it up in the hall. He turned around, ready to walk up the stairs, when he nearly walked into Twinkle, who had seemingly been waiting for his return.  
  
The Headmaster immediately noticed that there was something wrong, the small being was not behaving like her usual happy self, and instead she was looking at him with dropped ears and scared eyes. Frowning, the tall wizard knelt in front of her. "What has happened, Twinkle?"  
  
The house elf flung herself to him, hugging his neck tightly. "Oh, Master Dumbledore, it is Master Alexander, he was crying and screaming and Twinkle didn't know what to do. Twinkle wanted to call Master, but Twinkle didn't know how."  
  
Dumbledore froze, his arms around the small body of the house elf. Patting her back slightly, he couldn't keep the worry out of his voice. "Why don't you go make a cup of tea for me while I go check on Alec?"  
  
With a small sniff, Twinkle let go of him and quietly walked to the kitchen. Not thinking twice about it, Dumbledore hurried up the stairs and went to Harry's room. Opening the door silently in case the boy was asleep, he was very shocked at the sight that greeted him. It seemed like a tornado had gone through the room. The windows were broken, glass lying everywhere. There was not a single piece of furniture that was not scratched or plainly broken to pieces. The blankets and sheets were torn apart, and were lying in disarray on the floor. Walking into the room, he didn't sense any magic excess, so he it hadn't been an accident. Slowly, he walked deeper into the dark room, carefully trying to determine were Harry was and what state he was in. The glass cracked under his feet, filling the strange silence. A few paces more and the sound changed. Looking down, he noticed he had stepped on a piece of parchment that seemed to have survived the destruction. Frowning, the old wizard bent down and picked it up, wondering what it could be. Using his wand to light the paper, he started to read. A few minutes later, he dropped the parchment in shock. There, written for everyone to read, were the happenings of the third task, in much more detail than Harry had ever told him. Looking around the room, he could see several pieces of parchment, also full of the messy writing. Slowly, the old man bent down and started to gather them. From time to time he would read a few lines, but he felt uncomfortable doing so. The feelings written there were Harry's and he couldn't help but feel he was intruding in the young boy's mind. After gathering all the papers, he pulled them together and put them on the table that had been pushed from one of the walls to the middle of the room.  
  
Knowing that Harry had to be there somewhere, the old man brightened the light emanating from his wand and quickly looked around the room, trying to ignore the ruined pieces of furniture. He finally located the small form of the boy lying on the floor near one of the broken windows. He was curled up in a tight ball and was trembling visibly. Trying not to make much noise, Dumbledore approached him and knelt at his side.  
  
"Alec?"  
  
But the boy was completely out of it. His flushed face held clear tracks of tears and his hair was in disarray. Looking once again around the room, Dumbledore decided to take Harry with him; the boy seemed to be in need of comfort and he wasn't about to leave him alone right now. Muttering a small levitation charm, he picked the teen up and quickly left the room, not once looking back. On his way to his own room, he saw Twinkle, who had been waiting with the cup of tea until he came out of the room. Nodding to her, he motioned for the house elf to follow him and led the way towards his own room. Once there, he put the boy on the bed and turned to face Twinkle, taking the cup from her hands.  
  
"Thank you, Twinkle."  
  
The house elf nodded and quietly whispered back to him. "Will Young Master be alright?"  
  
The Headmaster looked at the sleeping boy for a long time before slightly shaking his head. "I don't know, Twinkle, I really don't know." Then, returning his attention to the house elf, he smiled at her tiredly. "Twinkle, I need you to fetch some night clothes for Alec. I don't want you to touch anything else in the room, leave it as it is until I can deal with it."  
  
Twinkle nodded and quickly disappeared to do as she had been ordered. When she returned, Dumbledore put her to work on bedding the boy while he went to change his own clothes. Ten minutes later, he was back in his room, and Harry was comfortably tucked in his bed. Smiling his thanks to the elf, that had stayed there waiting for his return, he climbed in the bed and took Harry in his arms, trying to reassure himself that he would be alright for now.  
  
Closing his eyes, he heard Twinkle leave the room with a soft pop, and finally he allowed his exhaustion to take over, sending him to the comforting darkness.  
  
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000  
  
Harry felt oddly at peace when he woke up. For once he didn't have nightmares and he was able to wake up slowly, enjoying the warmth and comfort that surrounded him. In his sleepy state, it took him a while to realize that he was lying in someone's arms. When he did, he tensed up, trying to figure out who was holding him. He tried to get up, but then a gentle hand pushed his head back down and he immediately felt the soft beard lying under his cheek. Smiling softly, the boy relaxed against the old headmaster that started to stroke his head lightly. He was dozing off again when his grandfather's gentle voice called him.  
  
"Alec."  
  
Not wanting to move just yet, Harry buried his head in the headmaster's shoulder.  
  
"Alec, come on, wake up."  
  
But the boy only shook his head and curled up tighter against the warm form. The headmaster chuckled softly and started to pry the boy from him much to the teen's discontent. "Alec, I need to go to my office, there's things I need to do."  
  
Resigned, the child released the headmaster and sunk into the pillows, intend in going back to sleep. Figuring he could allow Harry to sleep a little bit longer, Dumbledore went to his bathroom and got dressed in plain bright blue robes. After taking care of his necessities, he returned to the room and went to wake Harry.  
  
"Come on, Alec, up, I need to go to work, and there's no way I'm letting you out of my sight until we've had a good talk."  
  
Harry finally decided to open his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he was in Dumbledore's bedroom instead of his own. Frowning slightly, he wondered why he was there. Not a moment later, it all came rushing back. Not meeting his grandfather's gaze, he started to blush slightly. How could he have allowed himself to break down like that? He shouldn't have done it; it had been idiotic. But he felt better, that was something he couldn't deny. The huge weight that had clouded his mind since the third task had finally started to lift and he was feeling like everything was starting to make sense. Finally looking up, he noticed that Dumbledore had laid out some robes for him to wear and that a small tube of make up was lying next to them. Getting the hint, he walked out of the room and got ready for the day.  
  
When he entered the room again, the headmaster was waiting for him. Silently, they made their way to the older man's office, where breakfast was already waiting for them. Both ate hungrily the delicious food, having missed dinner the day before. Once they were finished, Dumbledore settled down behind his desk and started to look through his mail. Looking around for something to do, Harry finally noticed some of his books lying on a smaller table and went to them, happy to know Dumbledore wasn't going to demand an explanation just now.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews, and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie.  
  
Thanks to everyone who voted for me in the HPFA awards. I hope you keep enjoying my fics.  
  
Hugs, Star Polaris. 


	26. Aftermath

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
Two hours later the silence of the office was shattered by a soft knock on the door. Looking up, Harry and Dumbledore shared a glance. The younger wizard looked at the headmaster questioningly, but the old man simply shook his head and stood up. Walking towards the door, he could feel Alec's eyes on him, but he didn't turn around; he knew he should have gone to the Ministry, they were expecting him there, but he hadn't been able to leave Harry alone after last night. Opening the door, he was met with the concerned golden eyes of Remus Lupin, who had been about to knock again. With a glance towards the boy, Dumbledore stepped outside and closed the door behind him.  
  
Remus frowned and looked at him curiously. "Is there something wrong, Albus? We were waiting for you at the Ministry." Looking for a moment at the closed door, he lowered his voice a bit more. "Has something happened with your grandson?"  
  
Closing his eyes tiredly, Dumbledore leaned against the door. "He broke down yesterday, Remus. The nightmares have been affecting him a lot and he just lost it. When I came back last nigh, his room was destroyed, and he was just lying on the ground, completely exhausted. Twinkle said he had been screaming for a long time." With a sad voice he added. "Once again, I wasn't there when he needed me."  
  
Remus looked at him through concerned eyes. Putting a hand on the wizard's frail shoulder, he tried to comfort him. "It's not your fault, Albus. You couldn't have possibly known that was going to happen."  
  
The old man shrugged a bit. "I know that, Remus, but it doesn't help any. I'm supposed to take care of him; he should be able to rely on me, but every time things like this happen, I am busy with something else, and I don't find out until it's too late to be of any help." The younger man didn't know what to answer, so he decided to remain silent, giving the man a bit of time to compose himself. Finally, Dumbledore straightened up and smiled at him a bit. "You should be going back, Remus, or they'll send even more people to see what's wrong."  
  
The younger wizard nodded hesitantly. "Are you sure you are both going to be alright?"  
  
Albus nodded lightly. "Yes, we still have to talk about it; I wanted to give him some time to calm himself down." Remus nodded and turned around, but was stopped by the Headmaster's voice. "Remus, could you tell Severus to come by this evening? I might need some help with Alec after I talk to him, and he seems to get along with the boy."  
  
Remus raised an eyebrow; he had noticed the unusual behaviour of the potions master towards the child. "Yes, I noticed. I was wondering what happened between them, I've never seen Severus so... affectionate, at least for him."  
  
Dumbledore chuckled lightly. "I have no idea, Remus. Both, he and Alec are particularly tight lipped about the whole issue. And they don't really interact that much, they just spend the time playing chess. Maybe that's why Severus had taken to the boy, he doesn't talk much, and he doesn't expect much from him."  
  
Remus nodded with a small, sad smile. "You might be right, not many people chose to be in Severus' company if they don't want anything in exchange."  
  
Dumbledore nodded, pain crossing his eyes, knowing he was one of those who wanted things in exchange. Remus nodded once his way and finally left. It took Dumbledore a few minutes to gather himself, and then he opened the door and went back to his office.  
  
Harry was still sitting on his chair, but he had closed the book and was now looking through the window. Dumbledore was about to go sit behind his desk again when the childish soft voice stopped him. "What happened yesterday was not your fault, you know."  
  
Albus stopped and looked at him intently. "You shouldn't eavesdrop on other people's conversations."  
  
Harry blushed a bit, but kept his gaze fixed on the window. "Sorry."  
  
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "You don't really mean that."  
  
Sighing, Harry finally turned to face him. "No, I don't. I wish you wouldn't talk about me with other people if I'm not there."  
  
The old wizard shook his head and went to sit behind his desk. Looking at his charge briefly, he nodded slightly. "I can't promise I won't, but I'll try." Not giving the boy a chance to answer, he quickly spoke again. "Are you going to tell me what happened yesterday?"  
  
Sighing, Harry stood up and walked to the man's side. Leaning against the desk, he looked pensively towards the window. They stayed silent for a long moment, and then the teen started to speak. "You know that the nightmares have been bothering me a lot. They are getting better with your help, but there's only so much I can take. The night you left me with Professor Snape, he asked me what my nightmares were about. Obviously, I refused to tell him, and he said I should talk about it. That I should let it all out."  
  
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and looked at him intently. "I thought that was what you did when we talked after the nightmares?"  
  
Alec looked at him, a bit uncomfortable. "Well, I did, in a way." Not giving the old man a chance to comment, he continued. "I always tell you what happens in the nightmares, but I've not really told you how I feel about them. I think that's what bothers me the most. Not what I see, but the way the nightmares make me feel." Dumbledore nodded in understanding, and he allowed Harry to continue with his explanation. "So, I guessed I should talk about it with someone, but there's no one to talk about. Well, there's you but, I don't... I mean, I can't... I..."  
  
Dumbledore placed a calming hand on his arm. "It's ok, I understand."  
  
Harry swallowed and continued. "I remembered that Professor Snape said that if I couldn't tell someone, I should try to write it down. I thought it was a good idea and did so. I got a bit out of control."  
  
Dumbledore nodded and looked seriously at the bowed head. "I saw the papers. I wish you wouldn't do something like that when you're on your own. I understand your need to deal with things on your own, but this was dangerous, Alec. You completely broke down."  
  
The boy nodded. "I know. It's just, I wanted to try and get it all out, and once I started, I couldn't stop."  
  
The headmaster stood up and hugged him tightly against his chest. They stayed like that for a long moment; Harry taking all the comfort his headmaster was giving him. Finally, Dumbledore kissed his forehead lightly and pulled away. "I would like to read those papers. I didn't want to do so without your permission, but it would help me to understand you better."  
  
Harry looked at him hesitantly. This was very personal; did he trust Dumbledore enough to allow him to read about all his feelings? On the other hand, if he didn't trust Dumbledore, who was he going to trust? Snape was out of the question; while he had started to like the man, he wouldn't trust him with something like that after all those years he had spent humiliating him. Sirius wouldn't understand; he was too childish. Remus would help, but he had enough trouble keeping his own emotions straight with the werewolf coming out once a month, it wouldn't be fair to him. Ron and Hermione were his best friends, but they were hardly mature enough to help him out. Loathe as he was to admit it, only an adult would be able to understand and from all the adults, Dumbledore was the best choice.   
  
Sighing, he finally nodded. The headmaster could see that the boy wasn't sure, but he didn't press the matter. He was happy with the little trust he had got from the child and would take it for now.  
  
Looking at the clock, he noticed it was already time to have lunch, and he ushered the boy out of his office, intent to make sure he would have a good meal after yesterday's happenings.  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta-reader, Vinnie. 


	27. Getting closer to Severus

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
They were nearly done with lunch when a dark haired man hurried in. Both Dumbledores looked up and were surprised to see the worried frown on the man's face. Severus never showed his feelings, not even to Albus. The headmaster couldn't help but wonder once again why his young potions master had taken such a liking to the boy, considering he had hated him for years.  
  
The young wizard smiled up at his former professor. "Good evening, Professor Snape."  
  
The man didn't answer; instead, he stopped in front of the teen and looked him over carefully, noticing the unnatural peacefulness in his eyes. He knew how the boy was feeling right now; he had broken down a few times himself. Putting a comforting hand on the child's shoulder, he squeezed it gently before turning to Dumbledore.  
  
"Remus told me what happened." Shooting a glance to Alec, he continued. "He said you needed me here?"  
  
The old wizard nodded and smiled at him. "Yes, I need to look at a few things, and I think it's better if Alec is not with me while I do so."  
  
Severus saw the teen pale and wondered what Dumbledore was talking about. Instead of pressing the matter and demand an explanation, the dark man simply nodded. He was sure he would get an explanation sooner or later. Dumbledore stood up swiftly and after placing a kiss on the boy's head, he calmly walked out of the room. Snape waited until the door close after the tall wizard before turning to look at his charge.  
  
The boy was playing with his food; it seemed he had lost his appetite. "Alexander? Are you feeling alright? You've gone pale."  
  
Harry blinked and looked back up into the concerned face. "I'm fine, sir."  
  
Moving to a chair, the dark man looked at him intently. "Do you want to talk about what happened yesterday?"  
  
Harry looked at him for a long time before shrugging. "There's not much to tell. I couldn't bring myself to talk about the nightmares with Granddad, so I took your suggestion about writing it down, it got out of hand, and I broke down."  
  
Snape was frowning but nodded, not demanding further explanation. He could tell the boy had some serious trust issues, he had noticed it from the moment he started talking to him, but he had always assumed the boy completely trusted Dumbledore. Obviously, he had been mistaken, the child trusted Dumbledore more then he did anyone else but not with everything. Sighing, the older wizard let the matter drop and motioned to the food Harry had been playing with. "Are you going to eat that?"  
  
Alec looked surprised down at his plate, he hadn't even noticed what he was doing. Sighing, he put his fork down and shook his head. "No, I'm not hungry."  
  
Severus looked at him blandly. "You should eat more."  
  
Harry snorted and looked at him intently, wondering if he was going to get away with the next comment. "You're one to talk, have you looked in a mirror lately?"  
  
Snape looked at him surprised for a moment. The boy had always been extremely respectful towards him after the first day. It had looked like he was afraid to upset him and always was at his best behaviour. Looking at him intently, he could tell that the boy was awaiting his answer, and suddenly, he knew that their future relationship would be based on his answer now. If he snapped at the boy, they would remain distant friends, with only the headmaster as a mutual link. If he allowed the familiarity, they would become closer. For once in his life he followed his heart and dropped his masks. Smiling softly, he winked at the startled boy. "Touché."  
  
Harry chuckled lightly and stood up, he quickly gave the man a hug and went to sit on the couch setting the chess set up. Snape looked at him fondly for a moment. It was going to be nice having someone else who liked him besides Dumbledore. Smiling slightly, the man stood up and went to sit opposite of the boy.  
  
"Black or white?"  
  
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000  
  
When Dumbledore returned to the living room several hours later, he saw them both settled on the couch reading. To his surprise, Alec was lying with his head propped up on the potions master's lap. Smiling softly, the old wizard went to sit in the armchair situated in front of the couch. Severus was the first to notice him.  
  
"Hello, Albus."  
  
In his lap, Harry looked up at his grandfather with a worried frown. Dumbledore noticed his glance and smiled at him reassuringly. Alec relaxed slightly, and the headmaster turned his attention back to his potions professor.  
  
"Thank you for staying with Alec, Severus."  
  
The younger man shrugged and smiled lightly, surprising the headmaster further. "It's no trouble looking after Alec, Albus."  
  
The old man smiled ruefully. "Yes, I know." Before his companions could question his tone of voice, he added; "Would you like to stay and have dinner with us, Severus?"  
  
Looking at his watch, the potions master sighed. "I would love to, Albus, but I need to get going; I had planned to make the wolfsbane today and if I start any later I won't get much sleep."  
  
Dumbledore nodded in understanding while Alec sat up, allowing his professor to stand and stretch out. Picking up his dark cloak, Severus ruffled the teen's hair lightly. "I'll see you in a few days, Alec, be good."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes, but nodded. Dumbledore looked amused at their interaction and smiled at the younger man when he bid him goodbye. Once they were alone, Dumbledore turned around and looked at Harry with twinkling eyes. "I still can't figure out how you do it."  
  
The boy laughed lightly and shrugged. "I really don't know. I just feel comfortable around him, as weird as that is. He can be very protective." Dumbledore nodded and Harry continued, his tone a bit darker. "You read the papers?"  
  
The old man's expression turned serious and he went to sit on the boy's side. "Yes, I did." He pulled the boy against his chest. "I wish I could take all those feelings away, but I only can try and help you work through them. Cedric's dead was unfortunate, but it was not, by any means, your fault."  
  
Harry frowned. "But I told him to take the cup with me."  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "But you didn't force him to accept it. You need to try and stop thinking that everything that happens is under your control. Every one has a mind of his own. We can control many things, Alec, but people are the hardest. They have the tendency to think on their own." Harry couldn't help but smile lightly, but Dumbledore could see he didn't really believe him. Narrowing his eyes, he decided to take another path. "Tell me, Alec, do you blame your godfather for your parents' deaths?"  
  
Harry looked at him surprised. "Of course I don't! He didn't kill them."  
  
Albus shook his head. "He told them to switch secret keepers, which lead directly to their deaths."  
  
Harry was frowning. "It was not his fault; he just didn't know that..."  
  
Slowly, he trailed off, and he suddenly saw Dumbledore's point. Sirius had been in the same situation he was now in. His decision had lead to the deaths of two people, and yet, Harry could clearly see it had not been his fault. But if Sirius was not at fault, then he could not be either. Dumbledore, seeing the confused thoughts running through the boy's mind, pulled him up with him. "Come on, Alec, time to go eat some dinner, and then you're going to take a hot bath, and after that, you're going to sleep."  
  
Harry nodded dizzily, allowing himself to be pulled towards the table. His thoughts were a mess, but the headmaster's constant chatter didn't allow him to think much about what they had been saying before. He suspected that's what the man wanted, but for now, he could accept it, there would be able to make sense of his jumbled thoughts later. Dumbledore made sure the boy ate enough to satisfy him, and then he left him for half an hour to take a bath. When the child came out, he was somewhat calmer, but the old headmaster didn't want to risk it. Ushering the sleepy teen towards his bedroom, he laid him in bed and gave him a sleeping potion. There would be time to think about everything tomorrow.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	28. Birthday I

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
A few days later, Alec was finally allowed to move back into his own room. Dumbledore had been staying at the house a lot, and they had often talked about the third task, with Dumbledore centring his attention more on the child's feelings than in the event itself. The nightmares were finally getting better, and now they only disturbed their sleep every three or four nights.  
  
The sound of a door opening startled Harry out of his peaceful sleep. Blinking slightly, he looked up and saw the blurry form of his grandfather bending over him. The occurrence in itself was strange enough since Dumbledore usually allowed him to sleep all he wanted, but the wide smile gracing the old man's face convinced the boy that something was going on.  
  
"Good morning, Birthday Boy!"  
  
Harry blinked and frowned deeply. He was completely sure that today was not his birthday. In fact, the day before he had realized that he had been fifteen for four days and he hadn't even noticed. Sitting up on his bed, he looked at his headmaster, who was at the moment rummaging through his drawer, seemingly intend to pick out his clothes. "Mmh, Granddad, today is not my birthday."  
  
The old man didn't even look up. "I realize that my boy, but we couldn't celebrate it then, for obvious reasons, so I'm saying that today is your birthday."  
  
Alec gapped at him for a long moment, but in the weeks that he had been there he had soon learned that the man usually got what he wanted. Besides, it would be nice to celebrate his birthday with someone who cared about him. What did it mater what day it was? After all, they would probably not be celebrating his 'fifteenth' birthday, more likely his eleventh. Chuckling slightly at that thought, he grinned happily at Dumbledore when he returned to his bedside with a pair of black jeans and a bright blue T- shirt in his hands. "Here you go, child. Get dressed and come downstairs, the guests will be arriving soon."  
  
Harry looked up alarmed from his clothes. "Guests?"  
  
But the old man was already out of his room. Shaking his head, Harry quickly got dressed. He didn't know what the old man had planned, but he might as well go along with it.  
  
Once he was sure that everything was in place, he left the room and headed downstairs, where Dumbledore was already sitting in the living room waiting for him to join him to have breakfast. The meal passed in friendly chatter, with Harry trying to pry out of the older wizard what they were going to do, but Dumbledore simply smiled and asked him if he wanted a bit more of food. While Harry had been doing much better, he was still extremely thin, and Dumbledore used every chance the boy was in a good mood to try and fatten him up a bit. They were just about to get up when Twinkle came bouncing in. She smiled up at the boy largely. "Happy Birthday, Master Alexander!"  
  
The child smiled back at her and hugged her briefly. "Thank you, Twinkle."  
  
Then the elf turned to Dumbledore, who had been looking at everything amusedly from his place at the table. "Master Dumbledore, the guests have arrived, they are waiting outside."  
  
The older man smiled gently at her. "Thank you, Twinkle." The man stood up and tended a hand to Harry. "Well, come on, Alec, let's go outside."  
  
Harry's face brightened up, he had barely been outside since he had arrived. Dumbledore didn't want him to go on his own and when the old man was there they usually spent the time studying. Ignoring the little voice that told him that he was being childish, Harry bounced over to the old man and took his hand. Today, he was going to enjoy; he was not going to bother with what he was or wasn't supposed to do. He would simply act like his heart desired, and if he felt like being childish; no one was going to stop him.  
  
Dumbledore laughed softly as he felt the boy tugging impatiently at his hand, he had never thought Harry could relax this much. He had always been such a serious boy, even when he was younger. His smile saddened a bit, it should always have been this way for the boy. His family should have made sure he had a happy childhood. But fear and dislike had made that impossible, and that was one of the things he regretted the most.  
  
"Granddad?"  
  
Looking down at the concerned blue eyes, the old man squeezed the teen's hand gently and led the way towards the door. Today was going to be a happy day, he could think about the Dursleys tomorrow; for now he was going to make sure Harry had a nice birthday.  
  
Several minutes later, they reached a small lake surrounded by tall trees. Standing in the shadow of one of those trees were Severus and Minerva. They had both agreed to come and spent the day with the Dumbledores when they had heard it was Alec's birthday. Albus would have wanted to invite the Weasleys and Miss Granger, but that would have aroused too many questions. Unluckily, Sirius was away, doing a job for him, but Remus had promised he would be by later. Looking down at the boy walking at his side, he was pleased to see him smile; it seemed that Harry didn't mind, but even so he tried to apologise to the boy.  
  
"I'm sorry your friends couldn't come, Alec."  
  
The boy looked up at him and smiled brightly. "That's ok, Granddad, I understand. Besides, I'm sure we're going to have fun."  
  
The older man dropped the child's hand and gently ruffled his hair. "I'm sure we will." Then he bent over so he could talk into the child's ear. "You may even be able to convince Severus to go swim with you."  
  
Harry laughed happily and started to run towards the two awaiting people. Without a second thought, he launched himself towards the potions master, who had a moment to look startled before bending to catch him in his arms. Smirking at the youth's playfulness, the tall man swung Harry high into his arms and over his shoulder, making him laugh in delight. Albus and Minerva joined the laughter while Severus started to tickle the child around the middle. Once Harry was completely out of breath, the potions master bend a bit and slid the child back until he was standing once again, keeping an arm around his shoulder to support him until her had regained his breath.  
  
Alec was grinning widely when he turned towards McGonagall. The woman had been looking at them, smiling fondly from her place at Albus' side. She had never seen Severus so happy, and it was good to know that under the hateful bastard, there was still a young man in there. Her attention was drawn towards the birthday boy when he moved away from Severus' grip and went to greet her.  
  
Smiling up at the stern woman, Harry hugged her briefly around the middle. It was the first time he had done so, but if he was able to be playful with Professor Snape, his bane for the last four years, he sure could afford to be friendly with his own head of house. The woman hugged him back and quickly pecked his cheek, making him blush lightly. "Happy Birthday, Alec."  
  
Stepping back, he grinned up at her. "Thank you, Professor."  
  
The woman frowned a bit, and after exchanging a glance with the headmaster, she stated. "Now, Alec, there's no need to call me "Professor". You can call me "Minerva"."  
  
Harry looked up at her very startled, and he didn't know what to say. There was no way he was going to call the woman by her first name, which would be too weird. Looking up, he immediately turned his gaze towards Dumbledore, asking for his support.  
  
The older man chuckled and went to stand behind him, a hand on his shoulder. "If that's too informal for you, how about 'Aunt Minerva', she surely spends enough time here for you to call her that."  
  
Harry blinked; well, he could deal with that. Looking towards the woman for reassurance, he relaxed slightly when she nodded. A groan from behind him, made him turn to look at his Potions Master, who was looking at the scene amused. "So, I guess I'll have to allow you to call me 'Uncle Severus'?"  
  
Harry looked a bit hopeful at that, but hurried to reassure the man that he would just continue to call him "Professor". He was stopped by the man's laugh. "Alec, calm down, Child. You can call me 'Uncle Severus'." Then he added. "Call me 'Uncle Sev' and I'll have you scrubbing cauldrons, understood?"  
  
Alec nodded vigorously. Albus, who had been looking at it all with amusement, took Harry's hand in his again and started to walk closer to the lake. "Come on now, I think it's time for presents."  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	29. Birthday II

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
Dumbledore, with a small smile, went to stand just at the lake's shore. Taking out his wand, he swished it once and a large silver blanket appeared in front of him, gently floating on the water. Laughing lightly at the surprised gasps from his friends, the old man stepped on the blanket and sat down at the far side. After exchanging a glance, the other three also stepped on the strange blanket. Minerva and Alec sat at either side of Dumbledore, facing each other, and Severus sat opposite of the old man closing the small circle. To make things more comfortable, Severus conjured several large pillows so they could lean on them. Once they were all comfortable, the headmaster muttered a few words, and the blanket started to move until it settled in the middle of the lake.  
  
Alec laughed in delight, looking around happily. The view they had from that spot was incredible. Large trees, denser at the far away part of the lake, surrounded the whole lake. The sun shone brightly, announcing it was going to be a warm day, and Alec hoped he would be able to convince his teachers to go swim with him. Since the second task, he had taught himself to swim, and while he still was not too good at it, he could manage. His gaze moved from the clear water to his grandfather, who had cleared his throat, demanding their attention.  
  
When the old man was sure he had their attention, he muttered something under his breath, and a large pile of presents appeared in the circle. Alec couldn't help but be stunned at the sight, there must be at least thirty wrapped packages in there; what on earth was the man thinking? Looking up sharply, he frowned at the headmaster.  
  
"Grandfather! What did you do, buy me the whole store?"  
  
Dumbledore chuckled and gave him an innocent look. "It was the easiest way I could think of to get you to accept all this. I know for a fact that there would have been lots of complaints if I had just dragged you to a store and bought it to you, as was my intention."  
  
Harry looked at him half annoyed. He knew it was true; he just had to remember the fight he had put up for his clothes. But the clothes had been necessary, this wasn't. The old man was just spoiling him, and he didn't know how to accept it. Crossing his arms on his chest, he glared at the older man. "I'm complaining anyway. I don't need so many things."  
  
Dumbledore calmly raised an eyebrow. "First of, you don't even know what's in the packages, so you don't know if you need them or not. And second, you would have complained even if I had bought you one single present. So, considering all that, I'm not going to listen to you. Now come on, open your presents."  
  
Harry shook his head and sighed. As he reluctantly reached for the first package he looked at the headmaster and frowned at the sad face. Dropping his hand, he suddenly reached out and hugged the man tightly. "I'm sorry, Granddad. Please, don't think I'm not grateful, it's just that no one has ever spoiled me like this, and I don't really know how to react."  
  
Dumbledore returned the hug and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry, Alec, I understand. Go on now, and don't worry about anything, ok?"  
  
Harry nodded and grabbed the first package, ripping into it only to discover some kind of muggle puzzle. He looked at it for a bit, before the others urged him to continue. It nearly took him an hour, trying to savour the moment and going as slowly as his companions allowed. Once he was done, he groaned and laid back. The old man had literally bought him everything he could need, from a school trunk to a bag of lemon drops and from books on quidditch to a new broom since he couldn't use his Firebolt. He loved every present, and even if he thought it had not been necessary, he just hugged the man. A soft chuckle made him open his eyes. Severus was leaning over him, a small grin gracing his face. "You're not finished yet."  
  
Harry blinked and sat up. He immediately noticed that his other professors had put two presents in front of him. Smiling brightly at the two, he opened the first one. He gasped at the sight, it was a very nice chess set. Knowing just from whom the present came, he hugged the potions master tightly. "Thank you, Uncle Severus."  
  
The man ruffled his hair gently. "You're welcome, Kid."  
  
From the transfiguration teacher he got a dark red cloak. After thanking her, he looked expectantly to his grandfather, wondering what they were going to do now. The old man looked from him to Severus and smiled.  
  
"Why don't you two go swim for a bit? The water will be warm enough by now."  
  
While Harry looked delighted at the thought, Snape glared at the older man. Noticing the glare, the boy took his arm gently. "Please, come swim with me?"  
  
Snape looked at him sharply, which made Harry let go of his arm and bow his head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to push you."  
  
The potions master turned his glare to Dumbledore and lightly pressed his hand against his arm, hoping the old man would get the hint. There was no way he was going to go swimming with the child showing the dark mark. He had just gained the boy's trust; he was not ready to give that up. Albus noticed the gesture and frowned lightly. He had forgotten about it; it was not a big deal because he knew that Harry already knew about Severus' other duties. But Alec shouldn't know, and Dumbledore really couldn't tell Severus that his grandson knew. The younger man would throw a fit.  
  
Sighing, he turned to the boy. "Why don't you wait until Remus gets here? I'm sure he will have no problem in going to swim with you."  
  
Harry smiled a bit, but he still stayed quiet, mentally berating himself. He should not have forgotten who the man was. No matter how good they got along now, the Potions Master was still the same cruel bastard that had tormented him during school. The three adults stuck up a conversation, and while he listened to them for a while, he soon got bored of it and walked to the edge of the blanket. Sitting down there, he looked into the water. The day had been going so good, but now he just felt lonely; he should have known they would soon lose interest in him; they had given him the presents, and he would later probably get a cake. He should feel happy about it, it was the most anyone had ever done about his birthday. Yet, he couldn't help but wish for more. Lying down on the blanket, still looking at the lake, the small boy sighed. He was starting to get too demanding, he had to put a stop on this. What was going to happen when the summer was over? He would have to get used to live at Hogwarts again, and after that, he would probably be shipped off to the Dursleys. Sighing, he closed his eyes. He was divided, a part of him wanted to just enjoy everything as it was, the other was cautioning him to stay away.  
  
Severus looked up from his conversation with the headmaster and Minerva; Alec was being awfully quiet. He was startled when he noticed that the boy was no longer sitting at his side, but instead, he was lying a few feet away. Frowning, the man got up, startling his two companions, who suddenly noticed the child's absence.  
  
Silently, he approached the child and knelt down at his side.  
  
"Alec?"  
  
The boy was so startled by his voice that he turned around to look at him, forgetting he was lying at the edge of the blanket. With a large splash, the small form of the boy fell into the water.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta-reader Vinnie. 


	30. Birthday III

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
Dumbledore and McGonagall jumped up and hurried to Severus' side, while the man's hand shot out to grab the boy before he could completely sink in. Luckily, he managed to grab the child's arm and, moving him a bit, he hauled him up so he was resting on the blanket. Panting a bit, the young man was about to move the boy and see if he was alright, but he was pushed aside by Dumbledore, who immediately wrapped the child in a large, fluffy towel and lifted him into his arms. Both Severus and Minerva gapped at the old man as he stood up and walked back towards the presents. The old man had been extremely rude, which shocked both teachers and made them exchange a questioning glance.  
  
From the moment he saw Alec sink into the water, Dumbledore knew he was going to have to act quickly. He hadn't wanted to pull Harry away from Severus in such a way, but he was afraid the make-up that covered the boy's scar would have been washed out. Looking down on the child panting and sputtering in his arms, he saw he was right. Sensing that both teachers were still away, he quickly moved Harry so he could easily have access to his forehead. Aided with a bit of magic, he was able to put a bit of make- up on the scar without the other two teachers noticing. Looking down once again, he saw that Alec's breathing had relaxed and that the boy was looking at him with slightly panicked eyes. If Snape of all people found out about this, there would be hell to pay. Before the old man could reassure him, the other two teachers joined them, sitting on either side of him.  
  
Severus looked apologetic to the boy. "I'm sorry, Alec, I didn't mean to startle you so much."  
  
Harry blinked and completely relaxed in his grandfather's arms. Obviously the professor hadn't found out or he wouldn't be using such a concerned tone. Giving the man a small smile, he couldn't help but shiver slightly. "It's alright, Professor."  
  
Snape frowned. "I thought I had told you that you could call me "Uncle Severus"."  
  
The boy didn't answer him, instead he got out of his grandfather's arms and started to try and dry himself. The old headmaster had noticed the sudden tension between the two, but decided he would let them fight it out themselves. Taking out his wand, he cast a drying charm on the child, who gratefully dropped the soaked towel. Then the old man turned to Minerva and started to speak with her again, clearly giving the potions master time to talk with the boy.  
  
Severus saw what the old man was trying to do and immediately moved to stand at Alec's side. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"  
  
The boy bowed his head. "It's nothing, Pro... I mean, Uncle Severus. Thank you for saving me."  
  
Snape nodded silently but didn't say anything else, wondering if the boy was going to talk to him if he stayed quiet. No such luck. Harry was once again deep in thought, trying to decide what he should do, and he had forgotten the man was still standing at his side. He was therefore startled for a second time that day when a warm hand settled on his shoulder.  
  
Severus chuckled lightly. "My, you're jumpy."  
  
Alec blushed profusely. "Sorry, Uncle, I had forgotten you were here."  
  
Chuckling, the man decided to drop the subject. "How about a game, Alec?"  
  
The boy looked up startled, he had assumed that the man would go back to talk to McGonagall and Dumbledore. He couldn't help but glance at the other two teachers, giving away just what he was thinking. The boy's behaviour now started to make sense. It was the child's birthday and the three of them had just given him a few presents and then proceeded to ignore him; they really were idiots. Shaking his head, the older man suddenly lifted Alec into his arms, making the boy gasp, and moved to pick up the chess set before settling down on one side of the blanket.  
  
Harry shook his head and picked up his new pieces; the man would never make sense to him, but at least he wasn't drowning in self-pity anymore.  
  
As usual, Severus won, although the game lasted a lot longer than those first tries they had done weeks ago. When Dumbledore saw they had finished, he called them over were Twinkle had prepared their lunch. Harry was much happier now and ran towards them, settling at McGonagall's side.  
  
Remus arrived at mid lunch with Twinkle's help and ate with them. After the chocolate cake the house elf had specially made, the brown haired man gave Harry his present. Alec gapped at it for a long moment, he had seen something like that at the Dursleys, Dudley was particularly fond of those little machines with games in it.  
  
"Errr... thank you. Isn't this some muggle kind of game?"  
  
Remus chuckled slightly. "Padfoot saw it, and he became addicted to them. It's called a Game Boy, and you can put different kinds of games in it. Since Severus can't be always around, Sirius bought you some chess games, and you can play against the machine."  
  
Alec started to grin lightly, while Severus groaned at his side. "That's great! Maybe I'll be able to win against you, Uncle."  
  
Rolling his eyes, the man ruffled his hair. "In your dreams, Kiddo."  
  
Remus looked at them amusedly. "Uncle?"  
  
Before Snape could bite his head off, Minerva spoke. "Now, Remus, Alec could hardly keep calling us "Professor" all the time; we spend more than enough time with him but he refuses to call us by our given names, so that was the best solution."  
  
Remus nodded in understanding and watched amusedly as Harry started to play with the Game Boy. Dumbledore looked at him for a moment. "He's not going to get into trouble with the ministry for this, is he?"  
  
Remus chuckled lightly. "No, don't worry; I brought it to Arthur Weasley after Sirius charmed it. He has made sure that he won't get in trouble."  
  
About an hour later, Albus looked at the sky and turned to his grandson, who had abandoned the machine to play against Severus again.  
  
"Alec, if you still want to go swim, you'll have to go now, in a while the sun will go, and then it'll be too cold."  
  
The boy looked up and frowned lightly. "If Mr. Lupin wants to come."  
  
Remus looked a bit startled, but after exchanging a quick glance with Dumbledore, he nodded. "Of course, Alec. But I'll need to go change."  
  
Minerva chuckled from his side. "Don't worry about that, Remus, I'll take care of it."  
  
While the transfiguration teacher changed the man's clothes in a swimsuit, Harry approached the headmaster.  
  
"Granddad, what about..." He quickly passed a hand through his hair, making the headmaster understand that he was worried about the scar. The old man simply took out his wand and started to change his clothes. In between that, Harry felt a small shiver go over the place where his scar was. He looked at the man questioningly and the headmaster smiled. "Everything will stay in place this way, Alec."  
  
Giving him a small, understanding smile, the boy turned towards Remus, and they both jumped into the water.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	31. A new friend

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of lies.  
  
It had been nearly an hour, and while Remus had already got out of the water, Harry had convinced the old headmaster to allow him to swim for a while longer. At first, the adults had kept careful watch of their young charge, but soon they got involved into a conversation, just looking up from time to time to make sure Alec was still alright.  
  
Harry had been floating on the water for a while, tired of all the swimming, when he heard a soft voice. Opening his eyes sharply, he stopped floating and looked around, trying to determine where the voice came from. One glance towards the adults showed they were not responsible for it, so he started to look around, noticing for the first time that he had drifted to the far side of the lake, where the small forest started.  
  
He was startled out of his musings when he heard the voice again. He turned to look at the forest but he didn't see anyone there. Without really meaning to, he started to swim towards the shore, and when he reached it, he heard the voice once again. He could tell that whomever was speaking was in pain. He got out of the water after glancing towards the blanket and started to walk into the forest, carefully looking around for any sign.  
  
Finally, he stopped in front of some bushes; the noise was coming from there, but they were too low to be hiding a human. Listening more carefully, he once again reached the same conclusion, so, moved by curiosity, he started to pull the bushes apart, trying to get a good look at whatever was hiding in there. He mentally hit himself when he saw who had been talking. It was a small black snake; he had dark golden eyes that were at the moment glaring up at him. Harry could see there was a long gash along the snake's tail, and he guessed that was the reason of the small animal's discomfort.  
  
Alec stayed still, regarding the animal curiously. He had read about their kind, the Onega-boas were extremely distrusting, they knew how to hide and evaded human company most of the time. To find one of those snakes so close to a wizard's house was strange. The snakes were also poisonous, and that was the main reason why Harry stayed silent and quiet. He wanted to help the little snake, but he didn't know if his help was going to be accepted. Carefully, he sat down on the ground, trying to make the snake feel more at ease, and then, staring at it fixedly, he started to speak.  
  
"Hello"  
  
The snake visibly started, and it moved its small head a bit closer. "Helossss, young ssssspeaker. My kind hasssssssn't heard about you before, what'ssssss your name?"  
  
Hesitating for a moment, he tried to come up with something to tell him. He knew he had been reckless in his approach. What would happen if the snake was a spy for Voldemort? He would have blown his cover; after all, how many parselmouths were there? Deciding that there was nothing he could do about it and seeing that the serpent was growing nervous, he spoke again. "My name'ssssss Harry. What'ssssss yoursssss?"  
  
Harry blinked as the snake hissed something completely foreign for him. He asked him to repeat it and he tried to say it, but to no avail, he just couldn't coordinate the right sounds. Finally, he gave up and asked for permission to name the snake. After thinking for a moment, the small animal just nodded its head lightly, and Alec started to go through names. Finally, they both settled on Derek, and Harry moved onto his next question. "What are you doing here? You're very clossssse to a wizarding housssse."  
  
The snake cocked its head slightly. "My nessssst hasssss alwayssssss lived here, they are sssssupposssssed to protect the wizardsssss from the houssse againsssssst other ssssssnakessssss."  
  
Alec blinked a bit surprised. "I didn't know about that, but then how come you've left your nessssst? And how did you get hurt?"  
  
The snake hissed in annoyance. "Thissss morning, while I wassssss out on my daily hunt, I ssssaw a sssstrange sssssnake looking at the big houssssse. I attacked it, but he wasssss too quick, he injured me and left."  
  
Harry nodded in understanding; somehow he knew that Derek wasn't lying to him. Sighing, he slowly extended his hand, trying not to startle the snake. "Ssssstay ssssstill, I'm going to heal you."  
  
Before the snake could answer, a small golden glow enveloped him and the gash disappeared without a trace. Startled, Derek looked from his healed tail towards the kneeling youth. "My thankssssss, young Ssssspeaker." Then he looked towards the house. "Do you live there?"  
  
Harry nodded slightly. "Yesssss, I'm living with my headmassssster while pretending to be hissss grandssssson."  
  
The snake stayed quiet for a long moment, and then turned towards the teen. "I'm going to come with you."  
  
Alec blinked, a bit startled. "Why?"  
  
Coming a bit closer, the snake touched his hand with his small tongue. "I can ssssensssse you need protection, and I will keep you sssssafe."  
  
Harry looked at it intently, debating how Dumbledore would feel about the snake and the dangers it could entail having him. Finally, he slowly nodded. "Ok, but you will have to remain hidden; I can't have anyone bessssidesssss Grandfather know about my ability to sssssspeak with your kind."  
  
The snake nodded and slithered until he was wrapped around Harry's wrist. The boy put a small concealing charm on him and looked around once again, trying to see if there were other snakes around. Seeing nothing else, he was about to turn around when strong hands picked him up.  
  
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000  
  
While Alec was speaking with his new friend, the adults were panicking. They had been in deep discussion when Severus had looked up to check on Alec. He was on his feet in an instant when he didn't see the small, red head floating on the water.  
  
"Where's Alec?"  
  
Quickly, he glanced around the lake, trying to find some disturbance on the water that showed if the young boy had ducked under. The others had noticed his worried movement and were now also looking around.  
  
Dumbledore looked anxious, moving his head left and right. "Do you see him, Remus?"  
  
He knew the other man had the best sight of them all. The werewolf slowly rotated, trying to find any sign of the child. "No, I can't see him."  
  
Severus swore loudly and started to shrug of his robe. For a long minute they waited to see if the boy would resurface, but when nothing moved, Remus, who had still been sitting in his swimsuit, jumped into the water closely followed by Severus. Dumbledore remained on the blanket with McGonagall, trying to convince himself that Alec was fine while forgetting all about magic in his worry for his grandson.  
  
In the water, both men looked around once again, still not seeing anything, Severus decided they would be able to cover more ground if they went alone.  
  
Motioning to the left, Severus ordered: "I'm going to look that way, you take the other side."  
  
Each swimming on their side, they tried to locate the boy, but as small as the lake was, they had no luck. Finally, Severus, who had been trying to regain his breath, cast a locating charm and followed the wand's trail. He was fairly surprised but also a bit relieved when the wand guided him to the far shore and into the forest.  
  
He started to walk as silently as he could; after all someone could have kidnapped the kid. It took him a few minutes, but he finally found him, looking around as if searching for something. After making sure there was no danger near them, he quickly strode forward and picked the child up into his arms.  
  
"Alexander Dumbledore! Do you have any idea how much you've scared us? If it wasn't because of your grandfather I would take you over my knee in an instant!" 


	32. Stern lectures

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
Alec looked up startled into the dark eyes glaring back at him. He had been away too long, and now he was going to be in trouble for sure. Sighing, he bowed his head slightly. Severus was still looking at the small figure in his arms, a bit of his anger diminishing at the sight of the bowed head.  
  
Sighing, he lowered the boy on his feet. "What are you doing out here? Couldn't you have at least warned us? We were all worried when we didn't see you in the water; we thought you had drowned."  
  
"I'm sorry, Professor, I thought I would be back in a moment."  
  
The man looked at him irritated. "Could you stop that?"  
  
Harry looked up, genuinely startled. "Stop what?"  
  
The man glared down at him. "Stop changing the way you call me every time I'm annoyed. Either call me "Professor" or call me "Uncle", but stick with one of them. Just because sometimes I'm angry shouldn't change the way you view me."  
  
Harry flushed slightly; he hadn't noticed but now that it was pointed out to him, he realized he did that a lot, not only with Snape, but also with Dumbledore. It was like he was trying to separate the kind from the stern, and he knew that was not a good thing to do. Just because they were angry with him didn't change the way they were.  
  
Sighing softly, he nodded. "I'm sorry, Uncle Severus, I hadn't noticed, but you're right."  
  
The man nodded, looking at him intently as if he wanted to discern how truthful the child was. Finally, he decided to let that matter drop for the time being; he would talk about it with Dumbledore later. For now, he had other matters to attend to.  
  
"Now, are you going to tell me why you nearly gave us heart attacks?"  
  
Harry looked around once again, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't anger the man even more, but knowing he would only get away with the truth, he readied himself for another reprimand. "I thought I heard someone and came to see who it was."  
  
A strong hand gripped his bare shoulder tightly, but when he looked up, he saw that Severus was not looking down at him. Instead, the older man was looking around; his wand gripped into his other hand. For the first time, Harry noticed that the man's clothes were still dripping wet and clinging to him. He was returned to reality when the strong hand moved from his shoulder to his jaw and forced him to look into the man's black eyes, which were glittering brightly with suppressed anger.  
  
"Have you gone completely insane? Do you have any idea what would happen to you if Death Eaters caught you?" Harry tried to drop his head again, but the man didn't allow it. "Your grandfather is one of the strongest fighters against the Dark Lord; if one of his minions managed to get you, you would be used to draw your grandfather out before they tortured and killed you. Even if you're relatively safe in here, you can never know to which lengths the Dark Lord would go to get you. Do you understand what I'm saying?"  
  
Harry nodded slightly, tears starting to cloud his vision. He knew the man wasn't saying this to hurt him, but rather to prevent it would happen again. He really had been foolish to rush out of the water only to go look for some unknown voice. He really should be more cautious; his only defence was that he had never felt so safe before, not only because he was in the headmaster's presence, but also because of his own newfound abilities. Snape's sharp voice broke his reverie. "Alexander, did you understand?"  
  
Blinking, Alec nodded again as far as the man's strong hand would allow him. "Yes, Uncle, I understand. I'm sorry, I won't rush off again."  
  
The black eyes looked straight into his own blue orbs, and finally, the man let go of him, satisfied of the sincerity he saw there. "Good, make sure you remember."  
  
Harry nodded. Snape took his slender hand into his own delicate one and started to walk back to the lake. When they reached the shore, they saw that Remus had returned to the blanket. Minerva had seen the potions master get out of the water and had assumed he had found the child. The three wizards visibly relaxed when they saw the missing boy standing next to Severus.  
  
Dumbledore quickly guided the blanked towards them, and the moment they touched the shore, he was out of it and at Alec's side. The older wizard gripped the child's shoulders firmly and looked him over.  
  
"Are you alright?"  
  
Blinking, the teen nodded slightly. "Yes, Granddad."  
  
Before the old man could continue his questioning, Snape spoke. "Alec said he heard someone speaking, so he went to check out who it was. I didn't see anyone but we should go and make sure."  
  
Albus sent the child a hard look that promised they were going to have a long chat later and then nodded towards the Potions master. "You and Remus go make sure. Minerva and I will take Alec back to the house. Come back within a half hour, Severus, or I'm sending someone after you."  
  
Both men nodded and went into the small forest. With a silent swish of the headmaster's wand, the blanked disappeared and the presents were sent to the house. After he had transfigured Harry's clothes back to normal, the three made their way towards the house in silence. Once there, McGonagall went to find Twinkle, to tell her they would be having dinner inside and Dumbledore led Harry towards his office.  
  
Once there, he sat behind his desk, while Harry took the usual chair right in front of the man.  
  
"Tell me what happened."  
  
Harry quickly explained about the voice and how he had decided to go see what was going on. Then he told the man about the snake he had found. Dumbledore was very interested and asked Harry to lower the concealing charm so he could see the snake himself. Derek was looking around curiously, ignoring the older man.  
  
"An Onega-boa, those are very loyal, Alec."  
  
The boy nodded. "He said his nest has been protecting the house and the wizards that live in it for many generations. He also said he saw a strange snake before. Do you think it might have been one of Voldemort's spies?"  
  
Dumbledore looked pensive before nodding slowly. "That might very well be the case, child. We will have to make sure there are no unwanted snakes around here anymore, and later, when we go back to Hogwarts."  
  
Harry looked uncomfortable at the mention of the school. "What am I going to do when it's time to go back?"  
  
The old man smiled mischievously at him. "I'm still thinking about it."  
  
Harry narrowed his eyes slightly, not really believing the man. "I don't like that smile."  
  
Dumbledore chuckled lightly but ignored the inquisitive glare the boy gave him, instead, he looked at him intently, the smile in his eyes replaced by a stern glare. Then he proceeded to scold the boy, telling him exactly how foolish his behaviour had been that evening. Harry listened with bowed head, noting that the man's words were not much more different than Snape's but had the added twist about Voldemort discovering his identity. Twenty minutes later, they both made their way back towards the living room, Alec relieved that he had not been punished for his behaviour, and Dumbledore concerned about the two men. Even if he knew now that there had not been any intruders, at least, not a human one, he was still worried that something might happen to the two of them.  
  
He was relieved to see that both men were back inside and chatting calmly with Minerva. The three of them looked up when they came in, the woman stood up and went to hug Harry while Dumbledore moved to talk to the other two. Once Harry had gone through a third scolding from his head of house, they all sat down and had dinner. Alec took a place between Remus and Severus and looked at the werewolf expectantly. The man raised an eyebrow at him and chuckled at him.  
  
"Oh, don't worry, kid, I'm not going to lecture you; I'm sure the three of them have said more than enough."  
  
The child laughed lightly, agreeing with the brown haired man. Severus, sitting at his side, frowned at him. "And you deserved it too." Then he looked at his fellow professor. "Besides, any scolding coming from you would be hypocritical in the extreme; you would have done the same."  
  
The other man laughed and raised his glass. "Touché, Severus."  
  
The child sitting between them chuckled at their antics, but stopped and started to eat after a pointed glare coming from the old wizard.  
  
Once finished, they settled down in the comfortable couches. The conversation was light, but Harry didn't take part in it. Instead, he leaned against his grandfather and closed his eyes tiredly. It had been a wonderful birthday, the best he had ever had. Not that that was very difficult, but he was happy. He was deeply asleep when Remus picked him up and carried him towards his own room under his grandfather's guarding gaze.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	33. Dumbledore's decision

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
"Grandfather, with all due respect, have you gone nuts!?"  
  
The older wizard chuckled at the boy's agitated words, he had been expecting that reaction from Alec, but it was still amusing. "Now, now, my child, it's for the best."  
  
The boy whirled around, stopping his nervous pacing for a moment. "Starting my first year at Hogwarts, again, is for the best? Care to tell me why you think that?"  
  
The man looked at him calmly. "You know you're much safer as Alec. If you were to return there as Harry, you would have to give a lot of explanations. Not only to your friends and teachers, but also to the ministry and the press. Do you really want to deal with that? And besides that, you would once again be in danger, the Slytherin students would make your life difficult and Voldemort would try to capture you again."  
  
Harry frowned at the man. "Voldemort will try to get me too if I'm pretending to be your grandson."  
  
Dumbledore nodded with a small smile on his lips. "Oh, I know, but as my grandson, I can protect you much more. Besides, if you go as Harry, we would be forced to drop the tutoring, I can't show such a blatant favouritism."  
  
Harry regarded him sourly. "You're bribing me!"  
  
The old headmaster couldn't help but laugh. "Am I?"  
  
Alec nodded and sank down into a chair. Rubbing his eyes lightly, he leaned against his chair. "What about my OWLs? I'll need to take them."  
  
"If we're able to keep the charade up for so long, you will take them privately. It has not happened very often, but sometimes students can demand to take their OWLs earlier."  
  
Harry looked at him with raised eyebrows. He doubted anyone in first year had asked to take the OWLs, but he chose not to comment. After having lived with the man for nearly a month, he knew it would be impossible to change his mind. "Very well, so I get enrolled into Hogwarts as a first year and your grandson. I'm assuming I'll need to be sorted?"  
  
The headmaster smiled slightly. "Yes, indeed."  
  
Alec sulked a bit. "Then you better make sure you talk to the blasted hat, I doubt people would appreciate a Dumbledore in Slytherin."  
  
Dumbledore laughed out once again and stood up. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll be fine."  
  
Alec obviously didn't share his grandfather's opinion, but he knew that the man was extremely stubborn, and he wouldn't change his mind. He looked with a frown as the man left his room, and he lay down on the bed, closing his eyes tiredly. The nightmares had gotten much better after his break down, but he had had a bad night and he was tired. Thinking about Hogwarts and about his friends, he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.  
  
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000  
  
A strong hand gripped his arm and started to shake him, effectively waking him up. Sitting up on his bed, he looked up to the owner of said hand and smiled slightly when he saw the Potions master standing at his bedside.  
  
"Hey, Uncle Severus."  
  
The man smiled back and sat on the bed next to him. "You know it's just past lunch time, don't you?"  
  
Harry blinked and looked at his watch, one of the many presents Dumbledore had given him for his birthday. "No, I didn't notice." He frowned slightly. "Where's Granddad? He usually comes to warn me or he sends Twinkle to get me."  
  
The dark haired man chuckled slightly. "He had to leave for the day, the aurors have nearly finished putting the wards around Hogwarts and Dumbledore needs to be there to help them with the final charms."  
  
Alec nodded acceptingly and looked up at him. "Did Granddad send you?"  
  
Severus nodded lightly. "He did, you know he doesn't want you to stay alone for a long time."  
  
Harry frowned a bit, but he understood the old man's concern so he didn't argue. Instead, he sank back against his pillows and closed his eyes. Severus' voice filled the room with concern. "You look tired, Alec. Are you feeling alright?"  
  
Nodding lightly, Harry turned to lie on his side, facing the professor but keeping his eyes closed. "I'm fine; I just had a nightmare and didn't get much sleep."  
  
Severus smiled down at him and changed the topic of conversation. "Albus said you'll start Hogwarts this September."  
  
Harry opened his eyes slightly to regard the man. "Yes. It will be weird."  
  
Snape raised an eyebrow to him. "What will be weird?"  
  
The boy shrugged lightly. "To have you and Aunt Minerva as teachers."  
  
The older man laughed lightly. "Yes, I guess that might be strange. How do you do with potions?"  
  
Harry looked at him for a long moment. What on earth was he supposed to answer? As a fourth year, Professor Snape had always considered him completely incompetent at the subject; of course, there was the small matter about being a Potter. On the other hand, he would now be in first year, and he knew more than an average first year, so it wouldn't be a disaster. Of course, he couldn't tell the man that, so he chose to stay silent and see what his professor thought about his lack of answer.  
  
The older man frowned a bit at the boy's silence, and sighed slightly. "Figures that with all the tutoring, Albus wouldn't bother to teach you potions." Standing up, he threw the boy a light robe and walked to the door. "Come on, we're going to get you something to eat, and then we'll see in what state Albus' lab is."  
  
Before Alec had the chance to complain, the man was out of the room. For a long moment, the boy stayed motionless, wondering what on earth he should do. Finally, he stood up with a sigh and put the robe over his summer clothes. To spend the evening with Professor Snape had not been his first choice, but on the other hand, he might even understand the subject if the man bothered to explain it properly to him. It surely would not do him any harm.  
  
Snape was waiting outside, an impatient look on his face. Quickly, he took the boy's hand in his and dragged him to the kitchen where Alec was forced to eat two sandwiches and gulp down a glass of milk, before the Potions Master was satisfied.  
  
Shortly after, they were both looking through Dumbledore's lab. Harry had not been there before; his grandfather had forbidden him to go in there since Snape usually used it. The professor was looking around, seemingly pleased that everything was in its place, and Harry stayed standing at the door, unsure of what he was supposed to do.  
  
Snape noticed it after a while and sharply motioned him to come in. "Come in, boy, you're not going to be able to do anything from there."  
  
Harry entered cautiously. "Grandfather said I shouldn't come here."  
  
The man smirked lightly. "Oh, don't worry, I'm with you."  
  
Alec smiled inwardly, that thought wouldn't have been very reassuring a few weeks ago, but now it was oddly comforting. He finally reached the man's side and stood next to him, looking at the ingredients he had placed on the table. He knew most of them, and he knew they would be making some kind of colouring potion, but that is as far as he was able to guess, and he hoped the man wouldn't expect anything from him. He was lucky. Snape didn't revert to his usual self. Instead, he started to point towards the different ingredients placed in front of the small cauldron and started to explain exactly what they did and why they did it. From time to time, he would ask a question, but it was more to make sure that the boy was still listening than to test his knowledge.  
  
Without noticing, three hours had passed and the potion was done. As Snape had explained it, the potion was used to colour the hair. He just had to add a piece of paper painted in the colour he wanted and then slip it to the test subject. If the potion was made correctly, he should see the results nearly an hour later, which was more than enough time to search for a safe alibi. Harry laughed at that, and was surprised when the man gave him the three small vials filled with potion instead of throwing them away.  
  
"You're really going to allow me to keep them?"  
  
The older man smiled while washing the cauldron they had used. "I don't see why not. But I'm already warning you, if I suddenly find myself with red hair you'll be in detention sooner than you can say "potions"."  
  
Harry smiled a bit. "Yes, Uncle Severus." Then, when the Potions master had put the cauldron away, he added: "I'll make sure it's yellow instead of red."  
  
The man whirled around, a playful scowl on his face, but Harry had already left the room in a run.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta-reader, Vinnie. 


	34. Return to Hogwarts

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
Alec was looking sadly out of the window. Today they would return to Hogwarts, and for the first time, he didn't want to go. He had come to love this place and knew that the adults wouldn't have so much time for him once they were back at the school. After all, the new term would start in two weeks, and they had to get everything ready.  
  
He had already finished packing all his things. His old things were still hidden in the headmaster's attic and would remain there until it was safe for him to use them again. Twinkle would remain at the house, taking care of everything, and Harry knew he was going to miss the small, happy elf.  
  
A gentle hand on his shoulder startled him out of his thoughts. Turning around slightly, he saw his grandfather standing behind him. "Are you ready to go, Alec?"  
  
Nodding slightly, he glanced one last time out the window and turned to follow his grandfather, who had been watching him intently. The old man wrapped an arm around his shoulders and squeezed gently. "You will always be able to come back here, Alec. No matter what happens, this is going to be your home."  
  
The boy looked up, very startled at that statement. Then he hugged the old man fiercely, never had he felt so loved and accepted.  
  
Together they left the house using a portkey. Harry had been fairly pale from the moment he had seen it, but Dumbledore wouldn't have been able to apparate them into Hogwarts so he had asked for a special portkey.  
  
Alec reluctantly touched it, and Dumbledore made sure to keep a hold on the child's shoulders. When they slammed into the headmaster's office, Harry had his eyes tightly closed and was shaking gently. Without a word, Dumbledore drew him into his arms and held him tightly against his chest until the teen calmed down.  
  
Alec breathed deeply and opened his eyes once he was sure no one was going to harm him. He was very relieved to see the headmaster's office and still kept a hold of the old man. They were forced apart by a gentle knock on the door. Dumbledore forced Harry to sit down in one of the chairs, sensing he wasn't steady enough to remain on his feet without help yet.  
  
The old headmaster went to sit into his chair and finally called out; "Come in!"  
  
Neither was surprised when they saw Minerva McGonagall step into the room, a small smile etched on her face. She went to hug Alec, but paused when she took in his pale face. "Are you feeling alright, Alec? You're looking kind of pale."  
  
Dumbledore calmly answered in the boy's place. "He just doesn't like portkeys much, they don't sit well with him."  
  
The old witch smiled slightly and ruffled his hair affectionately. "I know how you feel, I don't like them much either."  
  
Then she turned towards the headmaster. "There'll be a staff meeting in half an hour, Albus, you should get Alec settled in."  
  
The old man nodded and stood up while Minerva left the room after a last smile to the child. Alec stood up too and followed the headmaster out of his office. Once they were on the stairs, Dumbledore clearly stated: "Phoenixia", and instead of going down, the stairs started to climb up, ushering them through a hole in the ceiling. Harry stared in amazement as they arrived at a small hall with several doors.  
  
The headmaster chuckled lightly. "This is my apartment here at Hogwarts; you're always welcome here, although you should only use it when necessary during the school year." Harry nodded lightly and looked around once more. "That door there, leads to my bedroom, there are several guest rooms, and each one has its own bath room." Then he pointed towards a red door. "That leads to a living room."  
  
Harry nodded. "Where am I going to stay?"  
  
"You may pick any one of the guest rooms and make it your room, just refrain from going into the one with the silver snake on the door; they're Severus' chambers and as much as he seems to like you, I doubt he would take it well."  
  
Harry raised an eyebrow. "I always thought Uncle Severus would have his rooms in the dungeons?"  
  
Dumbledore nodded, looking at his watch. "He does, he just has another one up here for when he's injured or doesn't feel like being alone. I'm sorry, Alec, but I need to get going. Pick your room and stay here, ok? I can't have you wandering around the school while everyone thinks it's the first time you're here."  
  
Harry smiled a bit sadly, but the other man was already on his way down. It didn't take him very long to pick a room; he took one a bit apart from the ones his grandfather and Uncle Severus used. It was once again painted in blue and reminded him of the one he had occupied at the manor.  
  
Quickly, he put his things away, not bothering unpacking everything since Dumbledore had already told him he would be taking the train with the other students. Derek, who had been sleeping in his trunk, woke up and after they exchanged a few words, the snake slithered out of the room, intend on exploring the castle.  
  
Once he was finished looking through the room, Harry settled into a chair with one of the books on animagy he still had to read.  
  
Several hours later, he put his book down. His eyes were burning from all the reading he had done and still there had not been a sound coming from outside his room. Sighing, he went to lie on the bed; he didn't feel like practice anything, not to mention the fact that he didn't know if he could practice magic in here. Turning to his trunk, he pulled the Game Boy Remus had given him and started to play chess against the machine, but it didn't hold his attention for long.  
  
Sighing, he got up and went to the living room, wondering if there would be something to eat. For once he was hungry, and he didn't have a clue how to get food. He couldn't go down to the kitchens, because he wasn't supposed to know where the kitchens were. He tried to call for a house elf, but he didn't know how to do it; at the manor, Twinkle had always known when to come. Moodily, he sat on the large couch and looked at the empty fireplace. What on earth was taking so long? It was just a meeting!  
  
By the time Dumbledore and Snape finally trudged up the stairs, Harry was in a very bad mood, not to mention half asleep from sheer boredom. He didn't even bother to look up when they entered.  
  
It had become dark in the room; both men knew that the boy was there only because he was not in his room. One look at the boy's face and Dumbledore knew that he was angry. Not that he could blame him, the meeting had gone for longer than he had expected, and he hadn't remembered about the child until they were done. Severus stayed behind him, knowing it would be better to let the older man handle the angry child. If he got involved they would end up in a shouting match, he just didn't have the right temper to calm another.  
  
The old man walked a bit closer. "I'm sorry it took so long, Alec."  
  
The boy glanced at him, he felt he was acting like spoiled brat, but he had gotten used to have someone around every few hours, even if it was only to see if he had eaten and was still in one piece. Controlling his temper and trying to suppress the lonely feeling that enveloped him, he spoke softly and shortly. "Can I have something to eat?"  
  
Dumbledore cringed a bit; it had been hours since dinner. "Of course, Alec, I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you how to call a house elf."  
  
Harry took a deep breath and chose not to comment; it would be useless to get into an argument with the man, they only made him feel guilty in the end. Silently, he watched as Dumbledore lit a fire and threw some red power in it. A few moments later, a small meal appeared on the table and Alec moved to eat. The headmaster went to sit at his side, intent of keeping him company for a while, and Snape went to his room, giving them both time to fight it out.  
  
The silence stretched for a long time, the only sound being made by Harry. Finally, Dumbledore spoke. "Are you going to ignore me much longer?"  
  
The boy looked at him for a moment. "I'm angry, I don't want to have an argument with you, so please leave it."  
  
Sighing, the old man propped his head in one hand. "Ok, I'll leave it for now, but we're going to have a talk tomorrow."  
  
Harry looked up sharply, anger flashing through his eyes. "There's nothing to talk about! I know you're busy, I know you've got a lot to do, and I respect it. I don't mind being alone for some time, or even for a long time. I just wish you wouldn't lock me in some place with absolutely nothing to do for hours. Not to mention with no directions as to what I can and can't do! You didn't even tell me if I could do magic!"  
  
Dumbledore looked at him guiltily. "I'm sorry, that was thoughtless of me." Noticing that the boy had finished his food and that they probably wouldn't get into a civil conversation tonight, he stood up. "Come, you're tired, I'll show you around the castle tomorrow, then you'll be able to move freely."  
  
Harry nodded and simply followed the man out of the living room; he showed him the room he had chosen, and after the older wizard had checked it out for silencing charms, they each headed to bed. When he was about to enter his rooms, Alec turned around sharply and went back to Dumbledore's side.  
  
"Granddad."  
  
The older man looked a bit startled. "What is it?"  
  
"What if I have a nightmare? Uncle Severus might hear."  
  
Dumbledore frowned in thought and stayed still for a long moment. Then he raised his wand and muttered a spell. Harry looked at him curiously.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"Selective silencing charm, no matter how close Severus gets to your door, he won't hear you."  
  
Harry looked at him interestingly. "You'll have to teach me that one."  
  
Dumbledore snorted. "Only just before term starts, or you'll start putting it on your door as soon as you've learned it."  
  
Harry looked back at him innocently but the headmaster wasn't fooled, he had come to know his young charge quite well. Ruffling his hair, he gently pushed him towards his own room and then went into his own. It had been a long day and tomorrow promised to be just as tiring.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and special thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	35. Disagreements

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of lies.  
  
Alec wasn't very surprised to see that he was alone when he woke up. It had become routine for the past six days. He usually woke up around nine and had a bit of breakfast that the elves had already laid out for him. After he was finished, he got dressed in some muggle clothing, left the headmaster's rooms, and wandered through the castle.  
  
He wasn't even allowed to go out and fly since his grandfather was afraid that it might attract too much attention. So, he usually ended up in the library; there at least he had something to do, and since Madam Pince hadn't returned from her holiday, he was able to leave his books sprawled on the tables when he left.  
  
The elves always made sure to bring him lunch and dinner there. He usually didn't ask for it, but he suspected that Dumbledore had made sure he would always have his meals on time.  
  
He knew that the teachers had taken to eat in the Great Hall, but he didn't feel comfortable enough to join them without an invitation. The return to his rooms late at evening was just as lonely; his grandfather obviously felt that the elves would keep an eye on him so he worked until late, making everything ready for the student's return.  
  
That day had started just the same as the last six, but the routine was broken when McGonagall suddenly appeared in front of him. Harry was grateful he had just been reading a Quidditch book, because if she had caught him with his books on animagi she would not have been pleased with him, and it would have arisen many questions.  
  
Looking up, he stared at her curiously. "Good morning, Aunt Minerva."  
  
The woman smiled thinly back at him. "Good morning, Alec. How are you doing?"  
  
The boy shrugged lightly; he knew that complaining wasn't going to help him so he chose to keep quiet. After all, Dumbledore had already done more for him than anyone else before, he should be able to accept that the man simply didn't have the time for him. "I'm fine, Professor."  
  
The deputy-headmistress looked at him for a long moment, doubting he was being entirely truthful but also unwilling to press him further on the subject. She could guess what was wrong, but this time she couldn't do anything about it. Erasing her concern with a smile, she spoke gently to the boy sitting in front of her. "Can you get dressed in some robes? Albus has asked Severus and me to take you to Diagon Alley and get your things."  
  
Harry brightened up at once. "Really?" Then he frowned a bit. "But I don't have any money, and Granddad gave me most of the things I need for my birthday."  
  
McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "Albus has given us enough money to see to your needs, and you still need to buy your books, robes, and wand."  
  
Harry glanced up at her for a moment, and then he stood up. "I need to speak with him. Is he in his office?"  
  
Minerva glanced down at him, a bit confused at his serious tone, but nodded lightly. "Very well, go ahead. Severus and I will be waiting for you in the entrance in an hour, is that enough time?"  
  
Harry nodded absently, already making his way out of the library and towards the man's office.  
  
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000  
  
Dumbledore didn't seem very surprised to see him appear in his office. He glanced up from his papers for a moment before looking back down and speaking in a stern tone. "We're not going to argue about me paying for your things."  
  
Harry, who had been about to speak, closed his mouth abruptly. "But..."  
  
"I said we're not going to argue about it; I'm your grandfather, and as such, it's my duty to do so." Dumbledore finally looked up at him again. "If you want to, consider it an apology for ignoring you these past few days."  
  
Harry's insides ran cold, and he became pale. Harshly, he glared at the other man. "You don't need to buy me."  
  
The old headmaster looked very startled at his outburst. Then, his face softened, he stood up and headed towards him. "I'm not trying to buy your affections, Alec. I just want to buy your school things just like any other caring relative does, and I would prefer if we didn't have to have a huge argument about it. I'm very sorry I can't spend more time with you, but I usually have all this paper work done before the first week of August. Being away from Hogwarts has put us all terribly behind our usual schedule, and we're trying to make it up."  
  
Harry sighed softly. "I know that. I'm not angry about it, just a bit lonely."  
  
Albus raised an eyebrow. "And yet, you always eat on your own."  
  
Alec looked a bit uncomfortable. "I didn't think you wanted me around, I thought you used those meals to discuss school things."  
  
Dumbledore shook his head sadly and hugged the boy to his chest. "Of course we want you around. The other teachers are very curious about you, they just didn't want to bother you by approaching you."  
  
Harry groaned softly. "Wonderful, just what I need, to have all my teachers ready to interrogate me as soon as I set a foot into the Great Hall. If it's the same to you, I'll keep eating on my own."  
  
The headmaster laughed out loud and ruffled his hair. "That's easy enough to solve, child. Just use your shy act and hide behind Severus, I'm sure he will force them to leave you alone."  
  
Harry laughed with him and moved out of the man's arms. "Talking about Uncle Severus, I need to get going, there's no need to annoy him when he's probably already cross with me for dragging him out of his dungeons and baby-sit me."  
  
Albus looked down at him with twinkling eyes. "I wouldn't be so sure about it, but it's always better to not let Severus wait for long, he has a nasty temper."  
  
Alec had already wandered to the door when another thought struck him. "Granddad, what about my wand? Do I need to get a new one? And what is Ollivander going to say? You know how he gets with people, last thing we need is him starting to tell everyone my name and what wand I bought."  
  
The old man returned to his seat and looked at him seriously. "I talked to him this morning, I can't do anything to hide you from his senses so I just told him to expect you."  
  
Harry gapped at him. "You did what!? You haven't even told Professor McGonagall about me!"  
  
Dumbledore raised a hand. "I know, Alec, but I didn't have a choice in this matter. I trust him, he has been around longer than anyone could guess."  
  
Harry scowled a bit and opened the door. "I still don't like it; it's bad enough that I have to start my first year all over again, the last thing I need is for people to start finding out about me."  
  
Dumbledore nodded but didn't answer. They shared a last look before Harry left the office and headed up to his room to fetch a dark blue cloak.  
  
Severus and Minerva were already waiting for him. Quickly he apologised for the delay, and together they left Hogwarts behind.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	36. Diagon Alley

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
If Harry thought they weren't going to draw attention, he was sadly mistaken. After all, it was not everyday that you saw both the Head of Gryffindor and Head of Slytherin walking through the Leaky Cauldron with one of the new students. If any muggle born had trouble Hogwarts would usually send either Hagrid or some other trusted wizard that happened to live close.  
  
Everyone stopped their conversations when they saw them enter. Harry didn't look at them twice; taking Severus' hand, he simply moved to stand behind the taller man, knowing no one would dare to approach him with the potion master protecting him. McGonagall looked at him mildly amused, while Severus glared at anyone looking at them while keeping a firm hold on the child's hand. Quickly, the two teachers steered Alec out of the pub and into Diagon Alley.  
  
The street was full of witches and wizards, mostly parents who were taking their children to buy their school things or to just enjoy the clear day. Looking around the crowded street, Snape bent down and picked Alec up; it wouldn't do to lose the boy. At his side, Minerva chuckled softly.  
  
"You realize that this is going to harm your reputation, don't you, Severus?"  
  
The man scowled at her but didn't move to put the boy back on the floor. Harry smiled softly and passed an arm around the man's neck to keep himself steady. Snape moved him a bit so he was resting against his hip, and then started to move towards Madam Malkin's shop, ignoring the gapping students who were now wondering who on earth the boy cradled in their potions master's arms was. Minerva trailed behind them, smiling mischievously at the stunned students and nodding friendly towards the surprised parents.  
  
The shop was empty when the came in; Madam Malkin immediately approached them, visibly surprised to see who had entered her shop.  
  
"Professors! What a surprise! What can I do for you?"  
  
Snape bent down slightly and slid Alec out of his grasp while Minerva looked around. "Alec needs some new robes, he'll be starting Hogwarts."  
  
The woman looked curiously at the child standing fearlessly next to the Potions Master and couldn't help but wonder who he was. After all, she had heard more than enough about the man to know he wouldn't willingly carry a child in his arms. Suppressing her curiosity, she motioned to the child to follow her into another room. Alec did so reluctantly. He had been there on his own before but that didn't mean that he enjoyed losing the security Snape offered. He had seen her inquisitive glance, and hoped she wouldn't press for answers.  
  
Luckily, the woman knew better than to ask, so she simply fitted him for some robes. Twenty minutes later, Alec was walking at Severus' side, his hand firmly clasped into the man's larger one. The three of them made their way towards Flourish and Blotts to buy his books. Silently, Harry considered that to be a waste of money, but he could hardly tell his professors that without giving a good reason. When they entered the shop, a few seventh years approached Minerva and started to talk with her after sending nods towards Professor Snape. Looking down, the man raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I trust you can find your books on your own? I need to speak to the manager for a moment."  
  
Harry nodded reluctantly and let go of the man's hand. Sighing, he started to gather his books. He only needed to find his transfiguration book when his body suddenly ran cold. The air was suddenly freezing and somewhere in his mind, he started to hear shouts. In an instant, he knew what was wrong. Dementors.  
  
Looking around frantically, he noticed that everyone had sensed it too, and while not many knew the feeling, the ones who could were already drawing their wands.  
  
Alec stood frozen in place, what should he do? He knew he was able to produce a patronus, even wandlessly, but it would be a dead give away. Even if neither professor had ever seen his patronus before, he couldn't take the risk; he knew how the magical world was. Before he could do anything to stop it, word would have spread out, and then what? Hermione, Remus, and Ron would hear, and then they surely would make the connection. Shaking his head slightly, he started to move towards the back of the shop with all the other children. They were all shaking, trying to draw together for warmth and comfort, while the adults stood in front of them, and forming a strong, defensive barrier.  
  
Harry ached to join them, to stand next to Severus and Minerva, but he didn't dare. It wasn't his place; he had to trust them. Just as Dumbledore had said, he needed to trust that they would be able to protect him. This was one of the hardest things he had had to do, to have to stand back and look as others fought. His shaking became worse when the dementors came closer, and he had to stop his train of thought, the unpleasant sensations coming from the dementors were overwhelming him, and he needed to keep track of them, he couldn't faint right now.  
  
With shaking hands, he grabbed a bit of chocolate he had been keeping in his pocket in case he got hungry and ate a bit, immediately feeling better. Cries of Expecto Patronum ran through the air while he sat back, watching as the silvery figures charged against the soulless monsters. Finally gathering himself, he looked around for the other children. Most were crying, sitting together on the floor behind the counter. Taking out all the chocolate he had been carrying, he focused on giving a bit of it to each of them.  
  
The older ones quickly caught on and also started to pick out sweets they had bought before. Slowly, the cold started to fade, and Harry could tell the fight was ending. Sitting down next to a girl, he drew his legs up against his chest and watched as one of the older children put a small sweet into a three year olds' mouth. They waited silently until the last shout faded, and even then, they stayed where they were safe, waiting for one of the adults to come gather them.  
  
Alec was now leaning against a wall; the strange girl was now leaning against him, trying to get some comfort from him.  
  
"Do you think it's over?"  
  
Harry looked down at the blonde head nestled against his shoulder and shrugged slightly. "I don't know, but I'm not cold anymore."  
  
The girl nodded, but didn't move from her place.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta-reader Vinnie and to Leena for her wonderful ideas (you should be thanking her too, if it wasn't for her nagging you wouldn't be getting chapters as often as you do ^^) 


	37. After the attack

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
Finally, ten minutes later, the first adult reappeared. It was a tall, strong man, dressed in auror clothes. He smiled gently down at them.  
  
"Hello there, are you all alright?"  
  
One of the older children nodded lightly after looking around. "We're fine."  
  
The auror looked a bit surprised at the children; they had been very close to the dementors, and yet, they were all relatively calm. Then he noticed the empty packages of sweets and smiled slightly. "Ah, I see you ate some sweets, very smart of you."  
  
One of the kids pointed towards Alec. "It was his idea, it really helped."  
  
The auror looked down at the small boy. The girl next to him was looking at up at him in awe, but her companion was just curious. "Very well done, lad, I'm sure you've helped all of these children a lot."  
  
Alec smiled a bit, warmth filling him in a way it never had before. He had not been out there fighting with the adults, but he had not been useless. Maybe it was time to learn that sometimes, he couldn't do everything, and that every bit helped. The auror smiled back at him and motioned for them to get up. "Your parents are all waiting outside."  
  
Alec was a bit puzzled; he would have expected for them to rush inside once the dementors were gone to check on the children. His question was solved when he saw an auror standing in front of the door. It seemed the aurors had wanted to avoid causing even more panic and had been taking care of everything. The blonde girl, who had been walking next to him, rushed of as soon as they walked through the door. All the other children followed her example, rushing towards the concerned parents that had gathered around the street to wait for the auror to get their children. Looking around, he saw his professors trying to comfort a few people and decided to wait for them to finish.  
  
The tall auror approached him and knelt in front of him. "Are your parents not here?"  
  
Looking up startled, Harry shook his head slightly. The man looked curiously at the silent child, he was still pale and looked like he would gladly burst into tears any given moment. For his part, Harry felt like it; the dementors had affected him worse than before. With the knowledge that he couldn't cast his patronus and the fact that he needed to help all those other children, he had fought to keep his composure, but now it was slipping away, and he wished he were alone.  
  
The man's soft voice startled him out of his depressing thoughts. "Who did you come with? You look like you're about to start Hogwarts, so someone must have brought you here."  
  
Harry looked up at him and then let his gaze wander towards McGonagall. When the auror didn't get an answer, he looked towards where the child was looking. "Did you come with Professor McGonagall?"  
  
The child nodded lightly, warping his arms around himself. The man was about to reach out and pick the small boy up when another pair of hands reached out first. Startled, the younger man watched as Professor Snape, the most feared teacher at Hogwarts, gently cradled the strange boy against his chest.  
  
"Alec, are you alright?"  
  
Harry nodded and buried his head against the man's shoulder, his arms firmly wrapped around his neck. Frowning, Severus looked first at the shivering boy and then at the auror who had just stood up.  
  
"Professor Snape."  
  
"Mr. Guiusad." Glancing once again at the child, he spoke again, his voice stern. "Did you give the children chocolate?"  
  
The man smiled slightly. "It wasn't necessary, the little lad here made sure they had some during the attack." It was a bit amusing to see the proud glance in the professor's eyes. He never would have thought that was possible, and he couldn't help but wonder who the boy was. Looking once again at the child, he frowned. "Maybe you should give him some more, it seems the dementors have affected him worse than the others. Maybe you should bring him to the mediwizard."  
  
Severus looked towards the man the auror was pointing to, but shook his head slightly. "No need, we're leaving for Hogwarts as soon as Minerva is finished. Madam Pomfrey will be able to make sure he's fine."  
  
Nodding lightly, the younger man bowed a bit. "It's been good to see you again, Professor, but I need to go."  
  
Snape nodded lightly towards the former Ravenclaw. "Be careful, Damien."  
  
The auror looked up startled, what on earth had happened to the hateful man he had known for seven years?  
  
"I will be, Professor."  
  
Severus watched as the younger man left his side and turned his attention to Harry. "Come on, Alec, let's get you to Hogwarts, your grandfather has probably heard about this by now, and he'll be worried."  
  
Harry nodded slightly and buried himself deeper into the man's arms, basking in his warmth. A gentle hand came to rest on his back and he saw Minerva standing next to them. With a silent nod between the two teachers, they apparated together towards the edge of Hogwarts.  
  
None of them were very surprised when they saw a pale Dumbledore pacing in front of them. The old man immediately rushed to their side and picked up Harry out of Severus' arms.  
  
"Are you all alright?"  
  
Severus and Minerva nodded lightly while Harry hid his head against Dumbledore's chest. The old man motioned to the two teachers to follow him and quickly made his way towards the infirmary.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
After sharing a look, Minerva began to speak. "There was a fairly large attack, there were about fifty dementors. As far as we can tell, there were no Death Eaters. Severus thinks it was just a distraction manoeuvre, I'm not so sure. The dementors managed to kiss about twenty people; luckily, we were able to gather together, and someone was smart enough to warn the aurors. It took us some time, but in the end, they fled."  
  
Dumbledore nodded, his face a hard mask while he clutched Harry against him. They reached the hospital wing in no time. Madam Pomfrey was already waiting for them. Dumbledore put Harry down on one of the beds, noticing the boy was half asleep, and turned to the two teachers while Madam Pomfrey looked over him.  
  
"Did Alec get close to the dementors?"  
  
The adequate question should have been if the child had fought against them, as he feared. After all, to have an eleven-year-old produce a corporeal patronus would draw too much attention, no matter to whom he was supposedly related. He was relieved and startled when Severus spoke.  
  
"Not really close, no; he stayed with the other children in the back of Flourish and Blotts. The auror who found them there told me he had given sweets to the other children. He has a good head on his shoulders."  
  
Dumbledore smiled fondly down at the small boy. He could not have been prouder of him had he fought against the dementors himself; he knew that staying back was often even more difficult than to fight. That Harry had felt confident enough that the older wizards would protect him showed that they were making some progress after all.  
  
Madam Pomfrey joined them, stating that Alec was alright, and then insisted on checking the two younger professors out too, much to Severus' disgust.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	38. Hospital wing

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
Harry woke up to an argument. Frowning a bit without opening his eyes, he tried to determine where he was.  
  
"Poppy, for the love of Merlin, we're fine! We don't need to stay here."  
  
Harry smiled a bit when he heard the matron snorting in disbelief. "Severus, you just fought against a horde of dementors, I doubt you could be fine even if you'd eaten all the chocolate in Honeydukes."  
  
A small laugh announced Minerva's presence in the room. "I doubt you could ever force Severus to eat so much chocolate."  
  
Harry smiled lightly, eyes still closed; he could imagine the scowl on the man's face. He wasn't disappointed when the sharp voice rang through the room. "On what side are you, Minerva? Or do you fancy staying in here till tomorrow?"  
  
After a small silence, the feminine voice spoke again. "Well, if you put it that way..."  
  
Dumbledore's soft voice stopped the argument. "Now, now, children, it won't kill you to stay in here for a few hours; besides, this way, Poppy and I can keep an eye on both you and Alec."  
  
Harry opened his eyes slightly, and watched as Dumbledore and the nurse ushered the two disgruntled teachers to two beds opposite of the one he was lying in. After much grumbling on Snape's part, Madam Pomfrey managed to get them in bed and gave the teachers a cup of hot chocolate. The chocolate must have been laced with some kind of sleeping draught because both professors were out of it in minutes. Harry opened his eyes fully when Dumbledore approached his bed again. The old man seemed a bit startled to see him awake, but he smiled fondly down at him.  
  
"Did the two of them wake you up, child?"  
  
Harry blinked once and then returned the soft smile. "Yeah, but it was kind of amusing. Never thought Uncle Severus would put up such a childish argument."  
  
Dumbledore laughed softly, attracting Madam Pomfrey's attention. The woman hurried to their side and frowned when she saw the boy awake.  
  
"You should still be asleep, young man."  
  
The boy looked down at his hands and nodded lightly. "Yes, ma'am."  
  
Dumbledore smiled gently. "Poppy, I don't think you've met my grandson, Alexander."  
  
Madam Pomfrey looked at them both for a long moment, before her gaze settled on the young child. The boy looked back at her distrustfully; he needed to keep his façade after all, and he was wondering what was going on with her.  
  
The woman ignored the inquisitive look and simply raised an eyebrow to him. Then, she drew the curtains around the bed and placed a silencing charm around the small cubicle. Dumbledore frowned at her actions.  
  
"Poppy, what...?"  
  
The nurse looked at him sternly. "Albus, I don't know what game the two of you are playing, but I would like an explanation as to why half the wizarding world is looking for a boy that is staying just under your care."  
  
Alec groaned softly and passed an arm over his eyes. Dumbledore's eyes hardened at once. "I guess that telling you that I have no idea of what you're talking about is not going to help?"  
  
Poppy snorted. "I've been a nurse at this school for decades, Albus, and Mr. Potter here has been one of my most frequent visitors. While I admit that the disguise is very well done, it hardly hides the medical facts."  
  
Albus nodded slightly; he should have thought of it, but he had been too concerned about Alec to think straight about the consequences. Even so, he wasn't so sure this was a bad thing; after all, Poppy was one of his most trusted staff members, and she would be forced to keep their secrets due to the oaths all mediwizards took. Sighing, and looked towards his supposed grandson. "Are you sure you're alright, Alec?"  
  
The boy was shivering slightly under the blankets. Poppy was immediately at his side, taking his temperature. Once she was reassured that he didn't have a fever, she left the small cubicle and went to fetch some of the hot chocolate she had given to Severus and Minerva.  
  
When she returned, Alec was no longer in bed, but wrapped in his blankets and resting in Dumbledore's lap. Silently, the man took the cup out of her hands and pressed it against Harry's lips. The boy drank obediently and was asleep within seconds. The two of them rearranged the child on the bed and then went to Madam Pomfrey's office. The woman wanted answers and she was going to get them.  
  
It took Dumbledore nearly an hour to explain what had happened and why he had chosen to hide Harry. In the end, the nurse had agreed with him that Harry was much safer as Alec, but she didn't like the fact that they hadn't told the other teachers. She would have expected him to at least tell Minerva and Severus, since they were some of his most trusted teachers, but the old man refused to tell anyone else. In his opinion, too many people knew about this already, and he didn't want to risk more people finding out. Madam Pomfrey wisely kept silent, not agreeing with the other man, but she couldn't do anything about it either; her oaths forced her to keep the secrets of her patients intact, and Dumbledore had directly appealed at those oaths, forcing her to keep her mouth shut on the whole matter.  
  
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000  
  
Waking up was unpleasant, he felt his awareness come back slowly and knew that he had been drugged. It was at times like this when he hated the fact that Poppy had access to his potions. To be rendered unconscious by his own work was humiliating. Sighing, he opened his eyes and noticed that the room was brightly lit, indicating it was late in the morning.  
  
The sour man sat up in his bed and was greeted by the sight of Alec reading one of his books. The sight, while not unusual, made him think of how isolated the child really was. He didn't know much about his life before he met him, but the boy seemed to be used to his loneliness. In all the evenings he had spent in Albus' manor, playing chess with the youth, not once had he seen an owl coming for him nor had he heard him speaking about friends. The boy seemed to take all the company he was offered, not demanding for much more than that.  
  
Severus shook his head. Well, that was not really true, he had seen the boy nearly demand attention from Albus as the days progressed, but it still was subdued. He couldn't help but wonder what had happened in his short life to make him so accepting.  
  
He was drawn out of his thoughts when the boy looked up; he obviously had felt the dark stare on him. "Good morning, Uncle Severus, how are you feeling?"  
  
Raising an eyebrow, the man stepped out of bed and went to sit at the child's side. "I'm perfectly alright. I was perfectly alright yesterday; that woman always overreacts."  
  
Harry chuckled softly but didn't comment. He closed his book and lent back into his pillows. He would have left the hospital wing as soon as he woke up, but his grandfather had resolutely forbidden him to step out of the room until Madam Pomfrey said so. As much as he hated the place, he was not ready to disobey such a direct order from the old man.  
  
"Where are Albus and Minerva?"  
  
Harry looked up and frowned a bit. "They went to granddad's office, or at least, that's what Madam Pomfrey said."  
  
Severus was about to reply when said nurse rushed inside, an incensed look on her face. "Severus, Dumbledore needs you at the front door."  
  
The Potions Master exchanged a glance with Alec and frowned. "Why? Is there something wrong?"  
  
The woman scowled deeply. "The Minister is here; he and Albus are arguing quite loudly, Minerva asked me to fetch all the teachers."  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to my beta reader, Vinnie. 


	39. Break with the Ministry

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
When Severus reached the doors leading outside, he saw a couple of teachers already gathered around Dumbledore. In front of the old headmaster stood the Minister of Magic, his face was flushed, and he was shaking. Severus didn't know why he was; it could either be in anger or in fear, since Dumbledore was looking positively murderous. The other teachers were all looking very annoyed too. Approaching silently, he went to stand next to Professor Sprout and quietly asked what was happening, while he listened to the minister shouting who he was and what he thought of them. The woman turned lightly to him, a deep frown on her face.  
  
"It seems Fudge arrived a while ago, and Dumbledore went to meet him at the entrance. The fool immediately started to say that he had pulled out all his aurors from their search for Harry. Dumbledore didn't seem to like it much, but he stated that he understood. Then the minister kind of smiled and said he was glad that the old man agreed that they couldn't waste their resources in a worthless and mentally unbalanced child." The woman shuddered slightly. "I've never seen Dumbledore so angry in my life. He went all cold and told the minister to get off of Hogwarts' grounds. The old idiot didn't like that, and he has been shouting since then."  
  
Severus winced slightly; he didn't like the Potter boy much, but he knew better than to plain out insult him in front of the headmaster. It seemed the old man had grown even more attached to him. Returning his attention to the argument, he listened as Dumbledore finally got the chance to speak.  
  
In an icy voice, the old man regarded the other man standing in front of him. "Minister Fudge, I demand that you leave these grounds at once; I will not stand for you to insult my students. Harry Potter is not mentally unbalanced, and you know it as well as I do. The only thing you want is to ruin his reputation in front of the wizarding world for your sick power lust. I have been helping you all this time because I believed it would be in our best interest and in the interest of the wizarding world to join our efforts, but I've grown tired of your incessant whining. From now on my people and I will work on our own which is going to spare us many resources. This way, we won't have to deal with idiotic bureaucrats whose only interest is the money or the power they can gain from their actions. Now leave, you're not welcome to Hogwarts anymore."  
  
Fudge looked at him, red with rage. "How dare you! I'm the head of the ministry, you can't..."  
  
Dumbledore cut his stream of words. "I can; Hogwarts is an institution on it's own, we are not dependant on ministry regulations and never have. The school allows the Ministry to rule over it as long as they have the same interests, and I, as headmaster, can decide whether or not it is good for the school to follow the ministry's direction." Drawing himself up, Dumbledore spoke again, his power flowing through everyone. "I, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry hereby sever all bonds that tie this institution to the British Ministry of Magic. This will remain so until such a time in which I deem that the Ministry is once again capable to comply in its functions."  
  
Fudge had gone deathly pale, and the teachers were looking at both men in awe. They had known that the headmaster had been growing increasingly displeased with the minister's performance, but to bring it this far... they weren't sure if it had been a wise decision, but the moment Fudge drew his wand, they immediately drew theirs. They may not completely understand the headmaster's reasons, but it was no secret to anyone that the Hogwarts' staff was loyal to the headmaster.  
  
Fudge looked at them warily, he knew it would be stupid start a fight against them. From the instant Dumbledore had uttered those words, the rules of the ministry had stopped to rule over the group, and as long as they didn't kill him they would be able to curse him since he was technically trespassing their grounds. Not to mention that the adults standing in front of him were some of the most powerful wizards that the wizarding world had. Not anyone could teach at Hogwarts.  
  
Buffing angrily, he planted his hat on his head and turned around. "Don't think that this is going to be the end, Albus, by tomorrow everyone will know about your betrayal and about how the Boy Who Lived is too scared to show his face."  
  
Before he had the chance to take a step, several curses hit him at once, making him fall on the ground. He knew he should have kept his mouth shut, but he was just too angry. Before he lost consciousness, he heard Dumbledore's cold voice wash over him. "Hagrid, be sure to kick this piece of trash out of the grounds, we wouldn't want him to ruin the sight."  
  
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000  
  
While Dumbledore stormed up to his office, followed by Minerva, Severus and Madam Pomfrey went back to the hospital wing. The nurse thought Alec was well enough to leave, but with Albus in the state he had been in, it would be better if Severus took him for the day. The younger man had agreed, thinking he would be able to teach him a bit more about potions and silently walked next to the woman.  
  
Harry was still sitting in bed; he had put his book down and was looking at through the window, a frown marring his face. When he heard them enter the ward, he immediately turned his attention to them. "Is everything alright?"  
  
The nurse hurried at his side and started to check him over, muttering under her breath that he should have been resting. Severus looked at her in amusement and sat down next to the bed. When the woman was finally finished with her check up, Alec spoke again. "Is everything alright? What happened?"  
  
The woman sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Don't worry, everything's fine; your grandfather just got a bit angry at the minister."  
  
Severus snorted from his place. "A bit angry? Poppy, the man went ballistic; he would have killed Fudge on the spot if he could have got away with it."  
  
The nurse glared at him, but didn't contradict him; she knew he was probably right. Harry looked at them alarmed. "Is Granddad alright? I need to see him!"  
  
He jumped out of the bed, but Severus immediately caught him in his arms and placed him on his lap. "I don't think that's a very good idea right now, Alec. He was really furious and needs a bit of time to calm down."  
  
Poppy ruffled his hair. "Don't worry, lad, Minerva went with him, I suspect they will be planning the future of Hogwarts as soon as Albus calms down."  
  
Alec frowned. "The future of Hogwarts?"  
  
Sighing, Severus passed a hand over his face. "Albus has severed all ties with the Ministry; as of right now, Hogwarts has it's own laws, and Albus and Minerva have to decide how they are going to do this."  
  
Harry sat back against Severus, a stunned look on his face. The old man must have really been angry to take such drastic measures. He had always stated the as long as they were united, they would win, but right now he had severed his connections with their most powerful allies, he really hoped everything would turn out alright.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews. And thanks to my beta reader Vinnie and to Leena 


	40. A new wand

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of lies.  
  
For the next few days, Severus spent most of his time with the boy while Dumbledore, Minerva, and the rest of the staff rearranged the way the school was run. The news of the break between Hogwarts and the Ministry had hit the wizarding world hard. Some parents had even pulled their children out of the school. Most of them were Slytherins whose parents had only consented to bring their children there because Dumbledore was being watched by the ministry. But now that the old wizard had full run of Hogwarts, they didn't want their children there.  
  
Severus had taken Alec to Diagon Alley once more, only this time Remus went with them. They quickly went to Ollivander's, followed by the stares of many parents and children. Severus carried Harry the whole way, refusing to put the boy down as long as they were outside. Word had gone around about the mysterious boy that accompanied the professors, but no one seemed to have figured out the truth.  
  
Once they were in the shop, the old man greeted them kindly, throwing an amused smirk at Harry while asking which was his hand-wand. It took Alec a long time to find the right wand for him; in the end, it turned out to be one with a basilisk teeth core. To say that both Remus and Severus were surprised would have been an understatement. They knew that the basilisk was one of the most magical creatures that existed, and wands made of any of their parts were hard to find and extremely powerful. It was also rumoured that most of the owners turned to the Dark Arts. Alec, for his part, wasn't that surprised. He had known for years that he had an affinity to snakes. Derek's slight form wrapped around his wrist was proof enough of it. He had also learned some time ago that he shouldn't trust people's regards to anything. They thought that things were dark too easily for him to accept their words at face value. With the strange wand firmly tucked in one of his pockets, the trio made their way outside. Snape immediately gathered Harry in his arms again, much to the werewolf's amusement and the youth's annoyance.  
  
"Uncle Severus, you do know I can walk on my own, don't you?"  
  
The older man glared at him darkly and tightened his grip. "Not now, Alec. There're a lot of people who didn't like the headmaster's decision. You've been seen with Hogwarts' professors twice; it won't be too difficult to figure out that you're important to us and you're the easiest to hurt."  
  
Remus' amusement faded at once, and he couldn't help but nod in agreement with the other man. Harry sighed and buried his head in the dark-haired man's shoulder. "Sorry, I didn't think about that."  
  
Severus gently put a hand against his back and hugged him tighter, softly talking to the dark head nestled against him. "It's ok, Child, I understand."  
  
The three of them left the Alley as quickly as they had arrived and returned to the safety of the large castle. The students would be arriving the next day and both teachers had lots of things to do. Harry found himself in the library once more, wondering what was going to happen the next day.  
  
He had not seen his friends for a long time, and he knew that he wouldn't be able to get close to them again. They were supposed to be older than he was, and he was not even going to be sorted into Gryffindor. His grandfather had made sure of it. The knots of tension that had been growing in his stomach for the past week returned full force, and he had to force himself to take in deep breaths to calm down. He was so intend on regaining his lost composure that he nearly screamed when he heard a small pop next to him. The small house-elf that had appeared at his side looked up startled, but then quickly relayed his message. "Master Alexander, Master Dumbledore wants you to eat in the Great Hall tonight. He has said to go up at once."  
  
Harry groaned softly. He had been avoiding the place even after the old man had said it was alright for him to go there. He had no wish to confront his nervous teachers so he made sure to stay out of everyone's way during the times he wasn't with Severus.  
  
Reluctantly, he walked down the stairs and headed towards the Great Hall. He felt all eyes on him when he entered, and he quickly took the headmaster's advice and headed towards Severus. The older man looked quite amused when the child latched onto his robes, glancing wearily to the other occupants of the room who were, in turn, regarding him with curiosity. There had been many rumours going around about Dumbledore's elusive grandson and most were curious to know what was so special about the boy.  
  
When Severus noticed that the other teachers were really starting to make Alec feel uncomfortable, he lifted the slight child into his lap and glared to his colleagues. "Is there something wrong?"  
  
Sinistra smiled at his protectiveness. "We are merely curious, Severus. I don't think you have introduced your young charge to us."  
  
Snape glared at her, but answered nonetheless. "This is Headmaster Dumbledore's grandson, Alexander. He will start his first year here tomorrow."  
  
Flitwick smiled at the pair. "You seem to be quite attached to Severus, young one; that's quite unusual."  
  
Alec glanced at the small man and tightened his grip on the Potions Master's robes. "Uncle Severus is nice."  
  
The whole staff looked at him surprised; they had not expected the calm answer from the shy child. Snape raised an eyebrow and put on his best glare. "I'm not nice."  
  
Harry glanced at him once and for an instant wondered if he had offended the other man. But a slight tightening of the arms around his middle and the amusement in the dark eyes, reassured him that the dark haired wizard was not annoyed. Smiling mischievously at the man, Harry leaned his head against his shoulder. "Of course you're not, Uncle Severus."  
  
The staff laughed while Severus ruffled the boy's hair. "Brat."  
  
Alec was about to answer back when the doors to the Great Hall opened. Minerva and Albus quickly walked inside. Alec looked up from his Uncle's shoulder and frowned at the sight of his grandfather's pale face. He hadn't seen him for the last few days, and the man was looking positively exhausted. Jumping out of Severus' arms, he quickly ran to the headmaster and hugged him around the waist. Dumbledore sighed slightly and ruffled the child's hair gently while placing his arms around the boy's shoulders. Bending over slightly, he spoke low into the boy's hair, so that not even Minerva, who was standing at his side, would be able to hear him.  
  
"Are you alright, Alec?"  
  
Harry simply nodded into his chest and the older wizard tightened his arms around him. "I'm sorry I didn't..."  
  
Alec shook his head. "Don't worry, I know." He looked up with worried eyes. "Is everything alright?"  
  
Albus smiled tiredly. "I think everything's arranged."  
  
Harry nodded lightly, and disentangling himself from the headmaster's arms, the three of them went to the table.  
  
To be continued...  
  
A/N: Thanks for all reviews and thanks to Vinnie for betaing this. 


	41. Fears

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.  
  
Web of Lies.  
  
Dumbledore sat down with Alec and Minerva at his sides. Severus had silently given up his usual place to the youth, and instead, he took one at Alec's other side, protecting him from the curious teachers.  
  
Once they were all seated, Dumbledore calmly started to eat, ignoring the inquisitive glances most of the professors were throwing him. Alec and Minerva quickly followed his lead, even if the younger boy glanced at him from time to time.  
  
They all ate silently; the teachers were keeping their curiosity at bay, knowing that the old man wasn't going to tell them anything until it was the right time.  
  
The nerve-wracking dinner was finally finished, and Dumbledore served tea to everybody. Looking towards his grandson, the old man frowned slightly. "Alec, it's late, you should go to bed."  
  
The boy looked at him in surprise, then he frowned deeply. "Grandfather..."  
  
Dumbledore returned his glare. "Now, Alexander."  
  
When the youth made no move to stand up, Minerva moved from her place. "Come, Alec, I'll take you to your room."  
  
Harry pursed his lips, but obediently stood up, not taking his gaze from the older man. He didn't want to leave; he needed to know what was going on, but he didn't wish to cause a scene in front of all his teachers, so he didn't have a choice but to leave with the woman.  
  
Once they were gone, Severus turned towards Dumbledore. "If you weren't planning to allow him to sit at this meeting, why did you insist he came to eat with us? You know he's going to be mad at you, and with good reason."  
  
Dumbledore nodded slightly and sighed. "I know, Severus. But I wanted to have him with me while the other members of the Order started moving into the castle."  
  
Those words caused several startled looks from the other teachers. Professor Sprout was the one who spoke in name of her companions. "The Order is moving in here?"  
  
Albus nodded lightly. "Yes, they are. Since we no longer have ties with the ministry, I think it will make things safer to have them all close."  
  
Severus frowned deeply. "About that, Albus, don't you think it was a very harsh decision? I mean, I know that you favour the Potter brat, and while I don't agree with you, I know he's important to our side. But to break all the connections with the Ministry of Magic just because the Minister insulted him doesn't seem like a very smart move."  
  
The old man looked at his Potions Master for a very long time, before slowly shaking his head. "I didn't do it because of Harry. That was just the excuse I needed. I have been thinking about breaking the ties with the Ministry for a few weeks, but I didn't want to have to tell Fudge the real reasons of my move for it would have revealed my spies in the Ministry."  
  
The teachers looked at each other confused; Sinistra, who had up until now been sitting quietly at Severus' other side, picked up her cup and sipped a bit before speaking. "If Mr. Potter was not the reason, then why, Albus?"  
  
The old man frowned and looked deeply into his cup. "You all know that Fudge is a greedy man. He denied Voldemort's return for fear that he would lose his position as Minister of Magic. The public opinion is very important to him, and he has lost a great deal with it in the last few weeks." Looking up, he saw most of his professors nodding in agreement. "A few weeks ago, one of my spies reported a plan of the Minister to regain some of his lost popularity."  
  
A small groan came from Professor Vector. "Why do I have the feeling it was something we're not going to like?"  
  
While some of the professors chuckled, Dumbledore remained uncharacteristically serious. "I'm afraid it was quite serious. The Minister was planning to charge in here at the Sorting Feast with a group of aurors and arrest any student that had ever been connected to Death Eaters."  
  
Snape paled drastically, knowing that most of those students would have been Slytherins. "He wanted to do what?!"  
  
Dumbledore regarded him sadly. "You heard me, Severus."  
  
The entire group of teachers looked at him, torn between disbelief and anger. The small Professor Flitwick jumped on his chair. "What was that man thinking about?! They are just children; it's our job to show them that You- know-who is dangerous and dark. We have to help them, not put them in You- know-who's direct path!"  
  
The other teachers nodded in agreement. Madam Hooch scowled deeply. "And what would have happened after they were dragged out of Hogwarts, Albus?"  
  
The headmaster shrugged lightly, quite pleased by his staff's reaction. "Who knows? I really didn't dare to find out, but they would have most probably been sent to Azkaban."  
  
Lupin scowled. "To send children to Azkaban. that man is completely insane! I hate to say this, but we may have another enemy besides Voldemort, Albus."  
  
Dumbledore nodded lightly. "I'm aware of that, Remus, but we should not let them distract us from our main objective. The ministry is not as powerful as they like to think they are, their only power resides in the aurors."  
  
A strong voice interrupted him. "And we all know that at least half of them are loyal to you, Headmaster."  
  
The old man smiled slightly at the young wizard standing at the entrance next to McGonagall. "So are you all settled in?"  
  
The young man nodded lightly and they both took a place at the table. "Yes, everyone is already turning in for the night, tomorrow is going to be a busy day."  
  
Dumbledore nodded, visibly pleased and then turned to them all. "Now that everyone's here, allow me to tell you the changes that are going to take place."  
  
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 000000000  
  
Dumbledore slowly made his way back to his chambers. The meeting had been stressing; a lot of arguments had arisen while he tried to explain how things were going to go from now on. Finally, with Minerva's help, he had managed to convince everyone of his plans, and even if some of them didn't agree, they trusted him enough to carry on. Severus had already gone to his own room in the dungeons, and now he was walking alone through the empty halls. His thoughts shifted to the teenager who was probably sleeping in his rooms. He had seen the anger in his eyes, and for the hundredth time, he wondered how the boy managed to keep himself in cheek. He had been expecting an argument, not the silent contest of wills that had been cut off by Minerva. Yes, even if the boy was slowly recuperating from his inner scars, he was by no means healed. And somehow, Albus doubted he would ever be. The muggles had done too much damage.  
  
Sighing, he noticed he had reached the gargoyle guarding the entrance to his chambers. Softly, he muttered the password and climbed up the stairs pass his office and to his private rooms. Silently, the old headmaster made his way to his grandson's bedroom, wishing to check on him before going to bed himself.  
  
Having expected Harry to be asleep, he was a bit startled when he saw his slight form sitting in a chair in front of the large window.  
  
"Alec?"  
  
The boy had obviously heard him come in, because he only turned around slightly. "Yes?"  
  
Dumbledore frowned lightly at the flat tone of voice. "Alec, I know you're angry, and you've every right to be, but the meeting was about school things; I doubt the other teachers would have approved about you being there."  
  
The boy didn't turn around; he simply nodded his head, keeping his eyes trained outside the window. "You could have allowed me to eat on my own then, it would have been more comfortable for me."  
  
The old man shook his head slightly, approaching the boy. "I wanted you to be with me; a lot of people arrived this evening, and although I trust most of them with my life, I also am wary of possible spies for Voldemort."  
  
Harry stayed silent for a long while before turning around and nodding. Dumbledore narrowed his eyes when he saw the pallor covering the boy's face. "Alec? Are you alright? You're looking pale."  
  
The boy nodded lightly and looked away. "It's nothing, Granddad."  
  
The old man shook his head and forced the boy to raise his head with a gentle hand. "I doubt it's nothing. Are you ill?"  
  
Harry shook his head. "I'm fine..." When he saw the headmaster looking intently at him, he sighed. "Really, I'm fine, just very nervous about tomorrow. What if I look older than all the other students?"  
  
Dumbledore smiled slightly, relieved that that was the only thing bothering the boy. "Alec, you don't look older than them. Minerva and Severus have been working here for a long time and they both think you're eleven."  
  
Harry shrugged slightly, not really convinced. "Could be because they haven't seen me around other children."  
  
Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "You went to Diagon Alley with Severus. Believe me, he would have noticed."  
  
Harry frowned; he had to concede his headmaster the point. "But what about my disguise? It was easy to hide while staying with you, but I will be seeing my school companions all the time, it will be incredible difficult."  
  
Dumbledore rolled his eyes and with a small wave of his wand, he put a concealing charm on the boy's forehead. "Honestly, Alec, we're back to Hogwarts; I doubt anyone will sense a bit of magic covering you when you stay around about a hundred of magical teenagers."  
  
Harry nodded his thanks; he had been thinking about it, but Dumbledore had been so busy that he hadn't found the time to ask him. Even so, he was by no means completely reassured. "But what if..."  
  
"Enough, Alexander." Dumbledore looked at him sternly for a long moment before softening his face into a smile. "Alec, you've been fooling Severus and Alastor for nearly two months. If neither had noticed anything, a bunch of teenagers aren't going to either."  
  
Before the teen could complain, Dumbledore reached out and pulled him on his feet. "Come on, young one, to bed with you. Tomorrow is going to be a stressing day, and you need your rest."  
  
Harry allowed himself to be tucked in and obediently swallowed the diluted sleeping potion. Dumbledore stayed at his side, gently stroking his hair until he fell into a deep sleep, wondering what adventures his fifth year at Hogwarts would bring.  
  
The END  
  
READ THIS!: Before you start asking, this isn't really the end of Web of Lies, but the fic was just getting too long and I decided to write the school year in an apart fic that will start just when this left off. It's going to be there next week and will be called Web of Lies: Revelations. Enjoy ^.^  
  
A/N: Thanks for all your reviews and thanks to my beta reader Vinnie and to Leena for her help and support. 


End file.
